Out of Silence
by Why so Sirius1236
Summary: Sequel to Chased by Destiny. He wanted her. Though her betrayal had been rather hurtful, he still wanted her. But that didn't mean he wouldn't teach her a little lesson in manners first. Loki/OC. WRITTEN BEFORE MOVIE CAME OUT
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Heyyy guys! So. I'm back with more Veronica and Loki! For all new readers, this is a sequel to my first story **_**Chased by Destiny**_**. It will probably help if you go and read that before you start on this one, but, hey, the choice is yours. **

**For all returning readers, this first chapter is the last chapter of **_**Chased by Destiny**_**. I needed to bring my ideas together and I felt that reading this would help readers do so too. If you have already read it, feel free to skip it or humor me and read it again. :) You will also find that this story is written in third person POV as opposed to Veronica's. **

**Anyways, please take the time to leave me a review! Anything from kudos to concerns to critiques are welcome! I'm open to anything anyone feels like saying. Basically what I'm saying is please REVIEW! **

**Now, Enough of my rambling. Enjoy!**

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><p>A nurse inched into the dark hospital room. She shivered as she looked at the man who lay in the bed by the window. She shook her head. She couldn't understand why SHIELD had decided to keep one of the most dangerous beings known to man alive in a hospital room.<p>

But she did her job without asking questions.

She checked the pulse of the man in the bed. Alive. As usual. She turned to her charts and documented the time and the man's blood pressure.

The heart rate monitor picked up in speed. The nurse looked up from her paper work to turn her attention back to the dark haired man in the bed.

Loki was under water. It wasn't like the crystal clear waters of Asgard that he had swam in as a boy. This water was dark. And cold.

Air. He needed air. He propelled himself towards what could only be the surface. He stretched his arms over his head and pulled himself up. He was almost there…

Loki was aware of another presence in the room. All he knew was it wasn't… her. Keeping his eyes closed, he searched the room for any form of power. None.

This woman was a mortal. Not even an Avenger.

He could hear a faint ping, ping, ping in the background. It accelerated as he became more aware of his surroundings. He realized it was a heart rate monitor and he was in a hospital room. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Where was he?

He felt the mortal's small hand check his pulse.

His eyes snapped open. When the woman saw he was awake she let out a small shriek. She tried to pull her hand away but he grabbed it. He thrust his hand at her throat, and she gasped. He smirked.

He tried to open his mouth to talk, but no sound came out. Damn, how long had he been unconscious?

The woman's eyes were wide with fear as her air supply slowly diminished. She clawed at his hands feebly, but he was too strong. He didn't want to kill her, though. Might as well knock her out.

He slung her to the ground and she skidded to a halt against the wall under the window.

Sitting up in bed, he turned his attention to a cream-colored piece of paper propped against a vase with dried flowers in it. He allowed himself a small smile as he opened it.

Veronica.

Loki stood up. He was so stiff. So weak. He found his clothes in a cupboard. Half-dressed, he stepped over to the sink and splashed cold water onto his face. He dried his face on a towel. As he brought the towel from his face he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

He was in dire need of a haircut and he had several newer scars along his right cheek. He buttoned up his shirt, and stopped when he noticed a new scar on his chest.

Curious, he pulled his shirt farther open.

A hand-print-shaped scar sat right over his heart. It had the appearance of a burn. Images from long ago emerged from the fog of memories in his head.

The sound of the nurse stirring brought him from his thoughts, and he turned on his heel. He walked towards the door. He summoned as much power as he could and turned himself invisible to mortals.

He walked freely down the white corridor. He remembered this place now.

He entered the elevator that would lead him to the meeting place of the Avengers. He stumbled through the doors as they opened into the hallway that would lead him to the Avengers. And, with any luck, Veronica.

But when the doors opened, Veronica was nowhere in sight. He passed the mortal called Steve as he made his way to Veronica's bedroom.

He was confused to see no one there.

He turned around to go back out to the common area. Slowly, he pulled a chair from across the table that the mortal called Steve was sitting. He smirked at the look of alarm on the mortal's face when the chair in front of him appeared to move by itself. Loki sat down and lowered his invisibility.

Steve pulled back in alarm when he saw Loki. "What do you want?" he asked. "You're supposed to be in a coma."

Loki cleared his throat. His voice was a mere croak. "Well. I am awake now, Captain Rogers. I am looking for Veronica."

Steve studied him for a minute. "Why?" He was suspicious and Loki found it amusing.

He didn't answer.

"Forget it, Loki," Steve said. "Now if you know what's good for you you'll leave here and never return."

Loki smirked again. "I don't think so," he said quietly. "Not until I have found Veronica."

And with that, Loki leaped from his chair, over the table, and knocked Steve out of his chair.

Steve tried to sit up, but Loki brought a booted foot to his chest. "Now," Loki said, brandishing a knife. "One more time. Where. Is. Veronica?"


	2. Chapter 2

_The night was cold. Too cold. Veronica shivered as she pulled her leather jacket closer around her. Farther off in the distance, a bright light shone in the night sky. It rose further and further up until she had to shield her eyes from the intensity of its rays. _

_ She stood up from her perch atop the SHIELD headquarters, planning to run if necessary, but as quickly as it had come, the light faded. The stars returned, standing out brilliantly against the night sky. _

_ Footsteps sounded from behind her, but she didn't bother to turn around. _

_ Cold arms snaked around her waist, resting at her stomach. _

_ "Hello, Love," Loki's cold voice whispered in her ear. _

Veronica's eyes snapped open as she sat up in bed. The dreams were back. Her breath came in shallow gasps and she was drenched in a cold sweat.

She slung the covers off of her body and swung her long legs over the side of the bed. She hadn't had dreams this vivid since… she couldn't bring herself to think his name…

She got up and traipsed across the hardwood floor of her bedroom and opened the window, taking in the warm night air of Los Angeles. A small breeze blew in through the opening and Veronica took in a deep breath. _It was just a dream._ She told herself._ Loki is in a coma in New York. He's not going to wake up._

As much as she wanted him to come back to her, the doctors had told her that there was nearly zero chance of him waking up. That dream had been the product of wishful thinking. Severe wishful thinking.

But maybe it was a good thing Loki would never wake up. She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to look him in the eye after what she had had to do. She cringed at the memory of him crumpling to the ground. Crumpling to the ground because of her. For all she knew he was completely pissed at her. And making the god of mischief mad was not exactly high up on her bucket list.

She closed the window and turned back to the room in front of her. It was sparsely furnished, with a bed, dresser and mirror, and desk being the only pieces of furniture in the large room. No carpet covered the polished hardwood floor, making for a very cold walk at night for bare feet. But she had kept it that way. It reminded her of him…

Her bare feet padded across the room, back to her bed. She slipped back beneath the covers and tried to push Loki from her mind.

The clock on her bedside table read 3 a.m. She was in for a long night…

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><p>Loki strode down the corridors of Avenger's Tower. After extracting the necessary information from the insufferable captain, he had erased the captain's memory and made himself invisible to mortals once again.<p>

He wanted Veronica. Though her betrayal had been rather hurtful, he still wanted her. But that didn't mean he wouldn't teach her a little lesson in manners first.

He was pleased to find his strength returning to him the more he walked. In fact, he felt far stronger than he ever had.

He passed by a training room, and stopped in his tracks when he saw his older brother, Thor, twirling his hammer around like it was a ragdoll.

He couldn't resist. His pride got the better of him and he turned on his heel to enter the training room.

"You have certainly gained new skill with your hammer, dear brother," Loki said quietly.

Thor looked at Loki, surprise written all over the god of thunder's face. "Loki?" he asked. "You are-"

"Alive," Loki replied. "And quite well, actually." He took a step closer to Thor. "A lot seems to have changed since my- absence." he said quietly, searching for the right word.

As Loki took another step closer, Thor raised his guard. "The medicine man said you would not wake ever again. How-"

"I really have no idea, brother," Loki confessed. "But I am back now and I want Veronica Parker."

Thor glared at his younger brother. "Well, you will not find her here."

"Oh. I know. Your little friend, Rogers is it? Already told me where she is. Somewhere out in Cal-i-fornia?" Loki said, the strange name rolling off his silver tongue in definite syllables. "Yes. I want her, Thor. She will be mine."

Thor looked at his younger brother in disbelief.

"She already is actually," Loki went on. "Mmm. That last night we were together? Absolute perfection."

Thor's look turned from disbelieving to disgust in a matter of seconds. He swung at his brother with the hammer, but Loki dodged his blow, changing into mist so the weapon would pass through his body. He smirked at Thor's expression. "It seems the tables have turned, brother. I hold all the power now. Stop me if you can."

And then Loki vaporized, disappearing into thin air.

Thor threw his hammer against a wall in his irritation, nearly bringing the building down when the concrete wall crumbled into a pile of rubble.

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><p>As he traveled through space, Loki couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. He had always thrived on making Thor angry or irritated but this had just about taken the cake. <em>Dearest brother, does it hit a nerve that your little brother has finally found himself someone of worth, while you still sulk around about your precious Jane?<em>

When he had first fallen to earth, Loki had toyed with the idea of really punishing his brother and killing the mortal woman. But as his plans for world domination began to unfold he had disregarded the scheme entirely. He had had bigger fish to fry as some would say. And then of course, he had met Veronica…

Out of nowhere, Loki's power began to diminish. He fell from teleportation and landed squarely on his buttocks in the middle of a field. Soft grass had cushioned his fall, but it still had hurt him. That had never happened before…

He nearly jumped from his skin as a brutish beast nuzzled the top of his head. He looked up to see a brown cow, chewing its cud and looking at him with dull eyes_. Stupid creature._ Loki stood up, brushing himself off with as much dignity as he could. A slight burning sensation on the skin of his chest caught his notice. It was right where the handprint shaped scar Veronica's power had left on him was located.

How odd. He tried to gather enough power to teleport again, but it seemed no different than if he was just an infant trying to hold its head up. He let out an irritated sigh as he set out towards the direction of city lights.

He hated to associate any more than he had to with mortals, but he would have to make an exception tonight. A sign to his left as he neared the town read Camden, South Carolina. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Not only was he completely off his target but he was also stuck in an insignificant southern town.

With as much dignity as possible, he marched into the small town. It was late at night and very few people were out and about. But a transportation vehicle was parked by a curb. What did mortals call them? Bugs? No… Buses! That was it.

He stalked right up to the bus. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to conjure up a few Midgardian coins. He could feel his powers drain even more as he the weight of the currency landed in his hand.

He straightened his collar as he boarded the bus. With his head held high, he walked straight to the back of the bus and sat down in a seat. Looking out at the dark world outside his window, he wondered what was becoming of the powers that had seemed so potent when he had woken up.

He knew the answer before he could finish his train of thought.

_Veronica._

**Ok. Sorry about bashing South Carolina. I live here, so, really truly I didn't mean it. Please, fellow Southerners, don't take it personally. *Lets out a nervous laugh***

**Anyways, what do yall think? Is it a good start? Does it need anything? Lemme know! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I do not own any Marvel characters. The plotline and OCs are my own.**

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><p>"So. The plain and simple answer to this question is not in fact <em>how <em>one might find the derivative of this equation, but _why _we need to find it." Agent Coulsen's voice droned on and on as Veronica found herself nodding off.

After a restless night, an early-morning training in the basics of astrophysics was the last thing she wanted to be doing right about now. Seriously, the stuff was so second-nature to her by now that she could do it in her sleep. Which was probably a good thing because she was seriously in danger of nodding off.

She sat up straighter, trying to get the blood flow back into her brain. She was definitely not in the mood for Coulsen. The tight-wad, short guy with a receding hairline was the last person she wanted to be around. Unfortunately he had been retransferred out to California shortly after she and Tony had moved out there.

Speaking of Tony, he seemed to be holding up pretty well. He had all but mastered the art of inconspicuously sleeping during these sessions. She was proud that he hadn't started snoring.

She nudged him awake, and he gave her a dirty look.

She looked down to hide the smirk that had formed on her full lips. If she was going to suffer through this, he sure as hell was going to too.

"Parker!" Coulsen barked. "I would appreciate it if you would pay more attention to the subject at hand." Veronica looked back innocently at him, ignoring the stares from the college interns that the class mainly comprised of. He turned back to his lesson when he could tell he hadn't ruffled her one bit.

_For God's sakes. I'm not a college student anymore, _she thought to herself.

"I swear there's something wrong with that guy," she whispered to Tony.

"In-breeding," Tony shot back. "Happens to the worst of 'em"

Veronica bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. She knew that Coulsen would probably go over much longer than the hour he had been allotted if he saw her laughing again.

Minutes inched by as the hour dragged on. It was almost nine o'clock now. Veronica's stomach rumbled at the prospect of breakfast. Finally, Coulsen dismissed the class.

Tony stood up from the plastic chair he had been sitting in. He stretched his arms high over his head, yawning ostentatiously. "Let's go get some grub," he said. "I'm starving."

Veronica nodded, pulling herself from the fog that had formed inside her brain from sitting so long in a classroom.

Why she and Tony had to take a class with college interns was beyond her. She was twenty-six now, a Physics major / superhero, and here she was in a class with SHIELD trainees. You would think that saving the world would be enough to cut her a little slack.

_No. Coulsen is just a penis-cranium. _She thought to herself.

Checking her watch, she decided she had enough time to sit down and eat in the SHIELD cafeteria before she would have to go to work in the technology department.

She continued to dwell on last night's dream. It had seemed so… real. Just like the ones she had had when she had first met Loki. Was it possible he had woken up? No. Thor or Steve would have called her. That much she was sure of.

She pulled her cell-phone from her back pocket and set it on the table as she went to sit down. As if it was in sync with her thoughts, it began to vibrate, signifying an incoming call.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

Thor's voice on the other end of the line made her heart drop into her stomach.

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><p>Loki had ended up at the Atlanta Airport. He stood in the line of airport security. Checking his golden wristwatch, he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. He absolutely could not stand mortal transportation. It was such a waste of precious time. Too… what was the word? Frivolous.<p>

He passed through the metal detectors and was cleared to board the plane. Finally.

He showed his fake i.d. under the name of Aaron Johnson and after another several minutes he was boarding the plane. First-class of course, no less for a prince of Asgard… well ex-prince.

He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned his slick head back against the leather seat. His thoughts dwelled on Veronica as he closed his eyes. Veronica's face filled his thoughts, her voice echoed in his ears.

Loki pulled a cream-colored piece of paper from the inner breast pocket of his coat. He had grabbed it at the last minute before leaving Avenger's tower.

_"Doubt thou the stars are fire;_

_Doubt that the sun doth move;_

_Doubt truth to be a liar;_

_But never doubt I love."_

His eyes travelled greedily across the page, taking in Veronica's profession of love for him. It was all he had to comfort him until he could find her.

He still wasn't sure how she would react to his reappearance. He wanted it to be a shock, that much he was certain of. Part of him wanted her to pay for what she had done to him.

And then there was the matter of his diminishing powers. He felt quite certain that Veronica was the answer to that as well. She must have done something to him by putting him in that coma to cause him to lose his magical abilities.

As far as he was concerned, the sooner he found out the better. He did not like depending on mortals to get him to places he needed to be, a feeling that increased greatly as the plane encountered a rather nasty bit of turbulence.

_Oh, Veronica. I will be with you soon. And then, my Love, we will have a nice little chat._

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><p>"Loki's awake," Thor said. Veronica froze and her stomach clenched up at the news. Part of it was fear, but the undeniable warmth of happiness was mixed in as well.<p>

"Where is he? Let me talk to him."

Silence on the other end of the line.

"Thor?" her heart fluttered slightly from the nerves. "Where is he?"

"Not here," was all that Thor said. Those two words were enough to tell her right then and there that Loki was coming for her. Whether she wanted him to or not.

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>

**It's about to pick up in pace, so bear with me! I want to get the background in first :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Heads Up! I am switching to Veronica's POV now that everyone knows what's going on. It's more fun to write ;) **

For a few minutes I just sat in my chair, unable to think about anything other than the fact that Loki was coming for me. I think Tony tried to get my attention several times to ask me what was wrong, but I looked right through him. By the time I had pulled myself together, he had scarfed down his plate of food and had left for work.

I blinked several times. A mixture of emotions swirled through me ranging from elation to fear. This was the way Loki had always made me feel. I was never sure how I would react to him.

I ate my now cold meal, chugged a quart of milk down, and pushed back away from the table. I was starting to get a little jumpy now, much like I had been the first time Loki had shown me his affections. I couldn't shake the idea that everywhere I turned I would find him lurking around the corner.

I stood up and made my way to my office. As head of the department, I had my own office, very nice compared to the office of my last job as a secretary. Before I was completely through the door, I gave the room a thorough survey. No one was there, and I couldn't sense any powers. Loki wasn't here. Yet.

I sat down in the rolling chair behind my desk and set to work on the various designs for new weapons. I was relieved to find that I wouldn't have to work long today, just long enough to get these god-forsaken calculations done. I plowed into the work, grateful to have something worthwhile to do.

By lunch time I was done for the day. I left SHIELD and headed home. I was extremely thankful that SHIELD had let me live in my own house when I had moved out here. As much as I had grown to love Avenger's Tower, there was something to be said about having your own home… and privacy.

As I approached my front door, I kept my ears pricked for any noise that would give an intruder away. I didn't sense any magic. Loki wasn't here either.

I threw my purse down on the dining room table and headed to my bedroom to change. Tense and ready to fight, I edged down the hallway. No one.

I exhaled sharply. If Loki was going to make an appearance, I would hope for sooner than later. But of course, as always, he was being uncooperative.

I decided to allow myself a quick cat-nap since I had had such an awful night. I sat down on my couch and rested my head on the arm of the seat.

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><p><em>I was in a dark place. Maybe woods? I couldn't tell for certain. I could see shadows moving around in my peripheral vision, but nothing else presented itself. <em>

_ I started walking, trying in vain to rid myself of the pressing darkness. Where was Loki? He was supposed to make an entrance, wasn't he? _

_ "Soon," a voice slithered through the foggy air. "Soon." It sounded an awful lot like Loki, but something was off. It was too… hollow maybe? I couldn't describe it. _

_ I turned around, surveying my surroundings with as much skill as a hunter. No one was there. _

_ I stopped dead as I saw a pair of blue-green eyes staring out of the shadows at me. They were almost glowing in the darkness. They were all I could see of Loki. "Soon. Soon. Soon." The voice said. _

_ I started running, but I could have sworn I heard an evil laugh behind me._

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><p>When I woke up, it was five p.m. Damn, I hadn't intended to sleep that long. Memories of the dream came flooding back to me and it was all I could do not to panic.<p>

I got up and poured a glass of water from the tap, taking in deep breaths.

All I could do was wait, I decided. Wait on Loki to show himself. I considered calling Tony, have him come over, but if Loki was angry I didn't want him to hurt Tony trying to get to me. No. I would just have to wait alone.

And what had the dream meant?

Was Loki planning something else against humanity? I didn't know what to do. Everything was so mixed up in my mind. I buried my face in my hands.

I stayed up extremely late into the night, waiting for him to show himself. What was taking him so long? Based on his past record of appearances he should have been here hours ago. I mentally kicked myself when I started to worry for his well-being.

Around eleven o'clock a knock at my door made me jump from my skin. Shakily, I made my way down the hallway and to the foyer. I looked through the peep hole, but I didn't see anyone.

Slowly, I unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door. My heart leaped when I saw Loki standing on my front step.

For a minute we just stood there looking at each other, neither quite able to believe what we were seeing. I noticed that Loki looked extremely pale, more sallow than usual. His hair was unkempt and his eyes were slightly unfocused.

I spoke first. "Loki?"

He was taking in shallow breaths, but he managed a smirk. He was still the same arrogant man that I had known back in New York. He just looked terrible.

"Veronica," he managed. "May I come in?"

I looked down at my hand still on the doorknob, deliberating for a minute, then brought my eyes back to his. I could take him if I had to.

Never taking my eyes from his, I lowered my hand and stepped to the side. "Sure."

He brushed past me through the doorway and made a beeline down the hall. I closed the door behind me, hesitating a moment. Then I followed him into the living room.

He was sitting down on the couch I had fallen asleep on earlier. I could feel his eyes on me as I turned on a light and sat down across from him.

After another few minutes of silence I couldn't take it anymore. "So?" I said. "Go ahead. Kill me. If that's what you are here for get it over with."

He squinted his eyes at me, the smooth plane of his forehead wrinkling in confusion. "Why would I kill you, Veronica? I love you."

Was he playing me? Something in his face told me he wasn't. But then he was on his feet and standing over me. He placed his hands on either arm of the chair I was sitting in, caging me in. He brought his lips to my ear and his cold breath left goose bumps on my skin. I closed my eyes.

"But that doesn't mean I won't teach you a lesson first."

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><p><strong>Please Review! :) <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I do not own anything related to Marvel. **

**Also, who's checked out the new Avenger's trailer? I don't watch football, so I just now saw the super bowl trailer on youtube. Awesomnesssss... :)**

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><p>I shrank away from Loki as he whispered that last part in my ear. Fear surfaced under the calm composure I had so skillfully set.<p>

He kissed my forehead as if to apologize for what he was about to do. I felt my powers grow exponentially. I disregarded that the moment I felt his hand slip to my wrist. His cool fingers traced the mark of his lips he had left me with a year ago. And then, in a matter of seconds, his hand clamped around my wrist and squeezed down incredibly hard.

I gasped at the pain. No one should have been able to hurt me this badly. After Thor had transferred some of his powers to me I had become just as strong as a god. But Loki was hurting me. Badly. I heard something pop in the palm of my hand and as pain shot up my arm. I let out a scream, but he kept squeezing.

I tried to hit him with my other hand, but it did no good. I struggled free of his grasp but he came at me again.

In a burst of adrenaline, I brought my legs up and kicked him square in the chest, sending him sprawling back onto the couch. I cradled my wrist against my chest. "What the hell?" I nearly yelled.

I looked back down at my wrist. Sure enough it was already swelling up. The mark that Loki had left on it a year ago had stretched across the skin, making it look that much worse. I was certain that it wouldn't matter for much longer. Bruising was inevitable with this amount of swelling and the blue mark would blend right in.

I got up and hit him across the face with my good hand. "If you were going to kill me, fine. I deserve it after what I had to do to you. But torture? What kind of sick bastard does that?"

He looked at me, his eyes amused though his face didn't show it. He pulled me down onto his lap as quickly as he had gotten up to hurt me. "Let. Go. Of. Me." I said, emphasizing every word.

I guess something in my eyes made him let go because as soon as his hands released me I was free to stand up. I hit him again for good measure, disgust written all over my face.

Then I went back to sit down in my seat, crossing my arms. The swelling in my wrist had traveled to my fingers now, decreasing the dexterity of the digits by the second. Perfect.

I glared at him, holding it up. "Is this enough of a lesson for you?"

His mouth twisted into a strange expression. "Hardly," was all he said. "But I suppose it will do."

I rolled my eyes, surprised that I still felt attraction to the man that had just handicapped my wrist. I stomped off to the kitchen to ice it. When I had cooled off enough to be able to talk again, I walked back out to the living room.

"So. How did you get here?" I asked.

He looked down at his hands in his lap. "I woke up a few days ago. You weren't at SHIELD headquarters. When I saw this," he said pulling a cream-colored piece of paper from his pocket. I realized immediately what it was. "I knew I had not imagined what you said to me before…" he trailed off, letting the silence speak for him.

_Before you killed me_ I finished the sentence in my head.

" So I came to find you. I did what it took to get back to you." Well, wasn't that a simple explanation?

"A few days ago? Why didn't you show up sooner?"

"Why? Did you miss me?" he asked, his thin lips twisting into a toothless smile. When I didn't answer he continued. "My powers seem to have dissipated in the last twenty-four hours. I was perfectly fine-stronger even when- I woke up, but the strength quickly disappeared. I had to use an airplane to get out to California. My powers were gone."

"Your powers…" I said. That would explain his haggard appearance when I had opened the front door. "They're gone?" But then how had he hurt me like that?

"I cannot explain it, but the moment I leaned into you I grew stronger," he said, reading my thoughts. "And you did as well. You were able to push me off of you," he pointed out.

I looked down. I thought I had only been imagining the feeling he had just described. But he had felt it too.

"Well," I said, getting up and sitting next to him on the couch. "We'd better make sure we weren't imagining it." There had to be something wrong with me. The guy had just broken my hand, for God sakes. But truthfully, I couldn't stand keeping away from him when he was right there…

I brought my good hand to his face, feeling the exhilarating surge of energy between us. He reached for my bad hand, never taking his eyes from mine. His cold skin felt good on the swelling.

The pain and bloated feeling quickly disappeared and I looked down at my newly healed hand. He let it go, allowing me to rest it at my side. I didn't need to examine it closely to know he had healed it by way of apology for hurting it. I accepted it. I knew Loki and there was no way he would have given me a verbal apology.

"I missed you," I said quietly as he brought an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"And I you," he whispered, planting a gentle kiss on the top of my head. The energy surging between us was nothing I had ever experienced. It certainly hadn't been there before I had put him in a coma.

My thoughts flashed to the dream I had had earlier. "What was that dream about?" I asked absently.

"Hmm?"

"The one you sent me this afternoon."

"I didn't send you a dream this afternoon, Love," he said quietly.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Maybe it was just my imagination," I said quietly.

He pulled me closer to him. I could tell he was relishing the power surge just as much as I was.

The night passed and we spent it together on the couch. It had been so long since I had been this close to him. I kept looking into his eyes, taking in the blue-green orbs I had thought I would never see again. We didn't need to speak. This was enough.

I must have fallen asleep eventually because the next I knew it was time for me to get up for work. My alarm clock went off in my bedroom and I sped down the hall to turn off the annoying buzzer.

When I came back Loki was standing in the kitchen. He looked much, much better. He had a bit of color in his naturally pale cheeks and he was standing up straighter. The morning sun spread across his high cheekbones and nose. God, I had missed him.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled a carton of milk from the refrigerator as well as some cereal from the pantry. "Want some?" I asked, shaking the box of raisin bran.

He looked at me seriously. "What is it?"

I contained the grin that was threatening to form on my face. "How long have you been on Earth? And you haven't had a bowl of cereal yet?"

I pointed him to the table and poured two bowls of raisin bran. I sloshed some milk over the cereal and handed him the bowl. He regarded it for a moment, then slowly raised a spoonful to his mouth. "Hmmm. It pleases me."

I smiled, scarfing down my own bowl. I had to be at work in a few minutes.

He finished his bowl much slower than I had. I got up first to get dressed.

"Where are you going?" he asked me when I came back from my bedroom.

"Work."

"At SHIELD?" he asked quietly.

"Where else, Loki?" I sighed, grabbing a banana.

He didn't answer. "Just be careful," he replied.

I bent over and kissed him. "I always am," I replied.

He caught my hand in his long fingers. "That is not the way I remember it." He kissed it before he let me go.

"I'll be home around four," I said. "Try to stay put until then. We'll figure out what we are going to do later."

I walked out to my car and slid in. So much had happened since yesterday morning. The realization that Loki was back had not set in yet. I was still in shock. But the dream I had had yesterday was still picking at the back of my brain. Loki was a liar. It was quite possible that he was still planning something.

But the dream had been so different from the last ones I had had of him. His voice. There was something wrong with his voice…

And then there was the issue with work. He was still considered a known hostile entity. If SHIELD found out that I was harboring him…

It was all too much to process. I sped down the road, hoping work would give me time to sort things out.

My phone vibrated and I jumped. I answered it. "Hello?"

"Veronica?" Thor's voice boomed at the other end. "Are you well?"

Shit. "I'm fine," I said. I debated whether or not I should tell Thor Loki had found me. But surely SHIELD was looking for him by now and I didn't want to risk losing Loki to the Feds. Not just yet.

Thor went on to confirm my suspicions about SHIELD looking for Loki. I promised Thor I would keep a look out for him and hung up. Right. Because concealing Loki from SHIELD had worked out so well for me the last time. I couldn't make a habit of this.

I parked my car several minutes later and lay my forehead against the steering wheel, trying to get myself together.

Then I got out of my car and walked into the office.

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><p><strong>Review! Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top! :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Heyyy guys! So I'm feeling really accomplished since I just turned out two chapters on a school night. : ) Anyhoo hope you enjoy! Be sure to let me know what you think. **

**Oh. And I don't own anything belonging to Marvel**

* * *

><p>I made my way up to the weapons engineering department. It was five stories up in the towering skyscraper and the elevator reached the level in a matter of seconds. I sighed as the doors opened and I stepped out. I made a beeline for my office, all too keen to get back into my work.<p>

Around lunch time, Tony rapped on my door, a McDonald's bag hanging from his left hand. He held it up to me. "Brought you something," he said as he walked in and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

I shoved my paperwork aside as he plopped the bag down in front of me. "Thanks," I said gratefully. I pulled out a Big Mac and started to chow down. Tony did so as well.

"So, what was wrong with you yesterday?" he asked more quietly. I looked up from my sandwich. If anyone deserved to know around here, it was Tony.

I wiped my mouth and set my napkin down on the wrapper that had contained my hamburger just seconds ago. "Thor called."

"Yeah…" Tony said, waiting for me to continue.

"Loki… Loki's awake."

He looked at me for a minute. "I can't believe it…"

"I know. It was a big shock to me as well."

"No. I always knew that son of a bitch would wake up eventually. What I can't believe is that Thor called you and not me! That ungrateful bast-"

"I get the picture, Tony," I said.

"Why am I always the last to know these things?" he said, standing up and throwing his hands in the air. "I'm going to call Thor and give him a piece of my mind." He turned on his heel, paused as if remembering something and turned back around to grab the last of his French fries. With them still in his hand, he waved at me and charged out the door before I could stop him.

Well, at least I was alone now…

My pager went off and I reached down to my belt to check on it.

_Attention: California Branch of Avengers meeting in twenty minutes. _

Great. Now it would be that much longer before I could get home to check on Loki. I finished my drink then set back to work for a few more minutes.

The California Branch of Avengers was really, truly unimpressive. The main team back in New York consisted of Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, and The Hulk. The Avengers here consisted of Tony and myself with Coulson as a replacement for Fury. You could say we were the boring ones.

Nothing ever happened in California. Minus the earthquake we had helped out with a few months ago, things were always pretty quiet. Believe it or not, there weren't that many deranged psychopaths set on taking over the world. Go figure… which was why I found it rather odd that a meeting was being called.

I pushed myself away from my desk and got up. With any luck, Stark would have found a phone by now and given whoever answered back at headquarters an earful. I laughed to myself and left the office.

* * *

><p>Coulson walked into the briefing room like he –for lack of a better description- had a stick up his butt. "Good afternoon, Avengers," he said, nodding to me and Tony.<p>

We sat there looking at him until he continued. " We have received intelligence Loki Odinson is at large once again."

"Oh yeah," Stark said with a smug expression. "We already know that."

Coulson just looked at him. "We need as many people as possible out there trying to find him."

A twinge of guilt started up somewhere in the back of my brain.

"We have also received intelligence that Oberon is not dead as we believed." I looked up. This was news to me. "And that he and Loki are in on a plan to take back the earth."

My head swam. No. Loki had come to my house, weak and desperate, looking for me. He wasn't in league with Oberon. He couldn't be…

_Oh, Loki, Please. Not again._

The meeting finished with the typical photos, notes, and reminders that Fury had become so famous for. I looked over to Tony to see him looking at me intensely.

Coulson dismissed us and left the room quickly. I looked over at Tony. "What?" I said after what felt like a standoff that lasted forever.

"You okay, Sunshine?" he asked me.

Of course he would be worried about me. He knew about Loki and me. Just like the rest of the Avengers. I pressed my lips together and forced a smile. "Yup. Never better."

He looked at me, considering whether or not to believe me. Then he shrugged. "Well, we beat this guy once. We can do it again."

"Right," I said quietly.

"How you holding up, really?" he asked me.

I looked at him again, not meeting his eyes. "I'll survive."

He patted me on the shoulder and stood up. "Plans tonight?" he asked me as we walked down the hall.

I stiffened. Maybe I should tell him about Loki. Out of all the Avengers he had been the most understanding in the first place. "Well," I said. "Now that you mention it…"

I grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him into a cleaning closet.

He looked at me with utter surprise on his face that melted back into a cocky grin. "Now, now," he said, wagging a finger at me. "I don't want to make the god of mischief any more angry than he already is at me."

Too little too late I realized the awkward situation I had just put myself in. and with Stark of all people. "That's not what I meant, Tony," I said quietly. "Listen. Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends on what it is." He leered at me.

I launched into my tale. "Loki showed up at my house last night."

Again with the surprised look. "Really? Did he try to hurt you? Have you told anyone else?"

I grimaced inwardly, remembering my broken hand. "No," I lied. "He didn't hurt me." after all, what was I going to say? That he had broken my wrist and then magically healed it for me? "And you are the first person I've told. I thought I could count on you."

"So you want me to cover for you while you have your little sexscipades with your ex? I've said it once I'll say it again, Sunshine. That's kinky."

I looked at him, remembering that things always went over as a joke with him. "In a manner, yes. Only there will be no… sex... with him." I hoped that was a vow I could keep. I tended to lose control of myself around Loki. It was kind of embarrassing, really.

Stark shrugged. " 'S cool with me," he said. "I won't say anything to big, scary Coulson."

I smiled. "Thank you. It's just… he's changed, Tony. I really think he's changed."

I thought about our morning activities. They had seemed so… normal. No plotting or fighting. We had just been a couple. I really hoped it would stay like that, but a seed of doubt was still in the back of my thoughts. It stemmed from the meeting earlier and the thoughts that Loki was in league with Oberon.

We emerged from the closet and kept walking. I was glad to have someone to confide in, even if it was a playboy billionaire. I trusted him and it felt good to share the weight of my secret with someone else.

I got in my car and headed home, rather scared to see what awaited me. I would definitely ask Loki about Oberon and, wether he liked it or not, he would give me the answers I needed.

I was done playing games.


	7. Chapter 7

I pulled up in front of my house just as the sun began to set. It was far later than I had expected to return, but at that particular moment I didn't care.

The moment I got to the bottom step of the stairs leading up to my porch, I realized something wasn't right. Instead of going through the front door, I tip-toed around the house and entered through the back door.

Quietly, carefully, I opened the back door, cursing myself for not oiling the hinge when I had noticed it squeaking last week. "Loki?"

No answer.

I inched inside, not knowing what I might find. The house was dark, not even the night light in the hallway leading to the bedrooms was on. Yep. Something was definitely up.

I jumped three feet in the air when a cold hand snaked around my wrist, pulling me back into the chest of the owner. I inhaled the scent of cologne as the man's free hand clamped across my mouth. I squealed.

"Shh, Love. Don't make a scene." Loki's cool voice brushed past my ear.

I bit down on his hand and he let go of me. "What the f-"

He grabbed my shoulder, trying to shut me up, but another voice, even more chilling than Loki's came from the living room. "Bring her here, Loki."

The voice was so familiar, as if from a dream…

Loki looked at me as if to say, 'Oh. Now you've done it' and twisted my hand behind my back. He steered me through the hallway and into the darkened living room. Another figure was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed and arms propped beside him imperiously.

A light snapped on and the figure's face came into view. I recognized it from the pictures.

Oberon.

I stopped in my tracks, but Loki pushed me forward, sitting me down forcefully in an arm chair by the fire place. Then he stood off to the side.

I glared at him, letting him know that letting Oberon in to my house was unforgivable. Surprisingly, he didn't smirk or show the least bit of amusement at my discomfort. He was just as nervous as I was. Loki? Nervous? This definitely wasn't a good sign.

I turned my gaze back to the man sitting on my couch. He looked like a Nazi. And when I say that, I mean he had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled face. He looked to be in his early forties (though I knew he was much, much older) and exuded a sense of military command. When he spoke, his voice was hollow, and it had an accent to it I couldn't place. I immediately recognized it as the voice from my dream. The one where Loki had been in the shadows.

My heart raced. I couldn't deny it. I was afraid.

"So. This is the great BlackLite," Oberon began. "Blessed by one god and loved by another." He was referring to Thor and Loki. "Also known as the god-slayer."

I wrinkled my brow at this. I had never heard of such a thing in my life.

"Tell me, how hard was it to kill my sister?" he asked me quietly, bringing a hand up and examining the glove that covered it.

"Who?"

The hand snapped closed quickly."You know who, you insipid girl," he spat vehemently. Ok. I would have to watch for mood swings with this guy.

"Oh, Hel? It was quite easy, really. She cried like a baby," I said sweetly, hanging on to the ounce of courage I had left and running with it. If this guy was here to kill me, I wasn't about to go down without a few jabs of my own.

"Well, no matter," he said, returning to his former calm and collected self. "She will be with us again soon."

I looked at Loki. He shook his head ever so slightly, telling me to calm down. Not to get Oberon mad. Since when was Loki afraid of another god? … And since when did he think I would listen to him?

I glared back at Oberon. "And I'll take her down just like I did last time," I said. I tried to stand up, but a magical force pushed me down. Oberon lowered his hand, and what felt like invisible cords wrapped around my wrists, securing me to the chair.

If only I had my pistols, or my blades. They were all in my bedroom. There was zero chance of me getting to them now. But then there were my powers. I scanned the room, trying to find any electricity. I came up empty. The light that was illuminating Oberon's face was a magical orb hovering over the room.

They must have shut down the power I realized in anger. I was as good as helpless.

"Oh, I don't think so," Oberon said an evil smile playing across his lips. "Not this time."

I struggled to get up again, but Loki walked over to me and placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah? Well-" Loki's hand dug into my shoulder, stopping me from saying anything else. I glared up at him his eyes met mine, willing me to shut up. I decided to listen to him, just this once.

"I have come here to give you a warning, Miss Parker," Oberon's voice echoed across the room to me. I turned my attention back to him. "We are strong and growing. You will not be able to contain us. It is inevitable."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I said.

"I am raising an army to do what dear Loki failed to do." I could feel Loki tense up at Oberon's words. "The end is coming. You'd best be ready when it does."

I looked at him with utter disgust on my face. What kind of ambiguous warning was that? At least Loki had been forward with me. "Oh. We will be," I said defiantly. And, just like last time, we will take you down. I hear Thor has learned a few new tricks with his hammer. I'm sure you remember Thor," I said, smiling. "You know, the guy that defeated you last time go round?" I kept a smirk plastered on my face until Oberon stood up and struck me across my left cheek. My head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. That was going to leave a mark…

Oberon turned around as he sat back down and saw the two of us. "Loki? Is everything well?"

Loki's head shot up, his eyes tearing from mine. "Yes, My Lord. All is perfectly fine." He walked away from me and stood by Oberon's side.

I blinked back the tears that were beginning to form when I saw Loki's expression. It said 'I don't care about you and I never will'.

I exhaled sharply, regaining my composure and slinging my bangs from my face with a jerk of my head.

Then Oberon was gone, with Loki not far behind. The magic constraints that had secured my wrists vanished as Oberon's presence disappeared.

I fell onto all fours, too dumbstruck to cry. What was with Loki? Just last night he had sat by my side, loving me. At least that was what I had thought. Maybe this had all been part of Oberon's plan…

It hurt me too deeply to think that I had thought I had changed him. That I had made him see the light. What hurt even more was that, no matter how hard I tried to convince him otherwise, he was willing to kill innocent people to take over the world once again.

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><p><strong>AN. Yes. Hel is going to be Oberon's sister for this. Sorry if i am ruining it for Norse mythology fans, but I promise it will work out :) <strong>

**Tell me what ya think! **

**~ Sirius**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N. So to work up some sympathy for Loki, I am giving yall a little from his point of view. I was going to work this into the end, but I think this will make yall feel a little better about the last chapter. Enjoy! **

**Also, Music to go with this… hmmm… **_**My Heart is Broken**_** by Evanescence and **_**In the End**_** by Linkin Park**

**I would have had this up sooner, but something was up with my account. But it's here now : ) **

~Loki~

Loki was walking behind Oberon in a long, curving hallway. Windows lined the hall as it curved and sunlight danced across the white tiles floors. It felt wonderful to have his powers back. But at what price had he gotten them back for? Oberon was just ahead of him, the bastard, shooting down the hall like an arrow.

What had he done? While walking down the hall, Loki let his mind wander to earlier that day…

_ He had been sitting in Veronica's living room, watching the magic box on the wall that displayed moving pictures. He had been rather bored with the mortal contraption, so when he had heard a knock at the door, he had answered it, hoping it would be Veronica. _

_ Only it hadn't been. He had opened the door to see his old ally from a year ago. Loki could have sworn Oberon had fallen to Thor in battle, but here he was, completely unharmed. _

_ Which was more than Loki could say about himself. After Veronica had left, he had felt his powers deteriorate. He couldn't explain why, but he was just as weak as a mortal. _

_ "Hello, Loki," the sorcerer had said. "I am in need of your assistance. _

_ Oberon had forced his way in, telling Loki of plans for payback against the Avengers. Loki had listened, merely humoring Oberon. He wasn't interested in world domination. Not anymore. Truthfully, he had only thought about getting back to Veronica since he had woken up. _

_ "Sorry, Oberon," Loki had said as he went to stand by the window. He was hoping that Veronica wouldn't come home before Oberon left. He didn't want her getting caught up with the sorcerer. "I am no longer interested in those affairs." He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the man sitting in an armchair. _

_ "I think you will find my offer very acceptable, Loki, Especially since you now have… ties to something that can be taken away very easily." Loki had snapped his head up at that. _

_ "You wouldn't…" he said quietly. His nostrils flared at the subtle threat against Veronica. _

_ Oberon had smiled evilly. "You think I would not? You underestimate me, old friend." _

_He had threatened to hurt Veronica if Loki did not comply with his demands. And so, to save Veronica, Loki had done the only decent thing he had done in a hundred years. And it was hurt Veronica by pushing her away… keeping her safe in the process… Oh. The irony of it had been enough him make him want to spit fire… _

In a burst of irritation, Loki stepped forward to walk alongside Oberon. The sorcerer had a smirk plastered on his face.

_After Loki had agreed to Oberon, Oberon had given him back some of his power, but just enough to be able to keep Loki under his control. _

_Without Veronica, he was nothing. He would make things up to her. He would be the kind of man she deserved. _

Making this promise to himself, he looked out of the old windows as he passed them. Oberon's headquarters sat atop a hill. It was a castle-like structure that overlooked a harbor. Strategically perfect against any invasion.

"Come now, Loki. We don't have all day," Oberon said, pushing open a set of double doors. Loki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and followed Oberon across the hilly country side.

~Veronica~

I pulled myself together, trying to get past Loki's betrayal. Shakily, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Tony's number. He answered after the second ring.

"Yup?" he said. It sounded like loud music was playing in the background and I had a hard time even hearing him.

"Tony? I… need to talk to you." I heard the music suddenly cut off in the background.

"What's wrong, Sunshine? Did Loki try to-"

"Just… can you get over here? Like now?" I asked, cutting off whatever smart remark he was about to make.

There was a pause on the other end. "Sure. Hang in there." The line went dead at the other end and I closed my phone. I walked down the hall to the electrical breakers and switched them all back on. I felt the familiar tingle of electricity fill the air and I took in a deep breath.

Walking back to my bedroom, I grabbed my old Avengers uniform. I slipped into the black leather, finally feeling a bit more comfortable. I loaded my pistols and strapped them to my thighs. I heard Iron Man touch down in my front yard a few seconds later.

I opened the door and let him come in as his suit powered down and slipped into the mechanical glove on his right wrist. I had helped him design it several months ago.

He saw the black eye I was sporting where Oberon had hit me and automatically ran for the front porch. "Did he hurt you?" he asked me, playing the part of big brother perfectly.

"No," I replied quietly. "It was Oberon."

"Oberon? Here? Why would he come to your house?"

_Because Loki had access to it._ "I don't know," I lied. "But he took off with Loki. Tony, he said something about another army and the end of the world."

I shivered and wrapped my jacket closer around my body.

"We need to call the others," Tony said. "As much as I hate to admit it, they need to know too."

I sniffed and nodded. I was NOT going to cry in front of Tony. He would never let me live it down afterwards.

I picked up my phone and dialed Steve's number.

I rested my head against the seat of the jet Tony and I were riding in. Just an hour ago we had called Steve back in New and gave him the lowdown on what was going on. I had broken off halfway through and Stark had had to finish for me. Now, here I was, tearstained and puffy-eyed, trying to get a little bit of sleep on Tony's private jet.

A stewardess brought me a hot cup of tea and I cupped my hands around it, inhaling the scent of Earl Grey. It reminded me of my late mother and it comforted me.

Coulson was sitting behind me. Why he had decided to come along I had no idea, but his monotone voice issuing orders over the telephone was really starting to annoy me. Tony was snoring in the seat across the aisle.

I looked out the window of the jet. The clouds beneath us flashed with lightning. I felt the raw energy emanating from the clouds and sighed. It reminded me of the energy that had passed between Loki and myself.

That whole situation had been weird. It was like when we were together, our powers were ten times more potent. Already, with him gone, I could feel my powers draining. I took another deep breath in and closed my eyes. Sleep finally came, and it was a dreamless, peaceful reprieve from what I had been dealing with.

Several hours later the plane landed on an air force base just north of New York City. When we got off, a line of men in uniform saluted us. Steve was waiting for us in a uniform of his own. He embraced me when we walked up to him and shook hands with Tony, giving him a pat on the back.

"Everything's under control for now," he said in hushed tones, glancing at the men in uniform and making it so they couldn't hear him. Why he thought he couldn't trust them, I had no idea. "Fury has a meeting scheduled at 8 A.M." We nodded in unison.

"Gotta love ol' Fury," Stark said sarcastically, stifling a yawn. "Always picking the earliest times for meetings." I couldn't help but agree with him. Fury obviously hadn't taken into consideration that Stark and I had been up for nearly twenty four hours. Well, at least I had caught a nap on the plane. I checked my watch, it was five A.M. Eastern time. Damn jetlag.

We got in a big black Hummer and sped towards New York City. The sun began to peek over the horizon and Avenger's Tower loomed.

I stared straight ahead, willing Loki from my thoughts. Once again I was going to be pitted against him and I was going to be ready.

**Please Review : ) **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN. I do not own any Marvel characters. The OCs and plotline are my own. **

Fury walked into the briefing room, hands clasped behind his back and as concentrated as ever. "Good Morning, Avengers," he said briskly. "It is good to see you all together again. Please help me welcome Veronica and Tony back to the New York branch of SHIELD."

He walked over to a screen that had risen from a slit in the floor and pressed a button to turn the projector on. I propped my chin in my hand, completely focused on the topic at hand.

"As you all are aware, Loki broke out a couple days ago and disappeared off the radar screen." Tony shot me an inconspicuous look. "He has yet to resurface, but Oberon has made his presence known quite well. We believe they have rejoined forces to create another army. One that is bigger and badder than the prior one."

Okay. Now was as good a time as ever to inform Fury of Loki's involvement. I raised my hand. "Fury? I know Loki's in on Oberon's plan." Fury turned an eyeball to me.

"And how would you know that, Miss Parker?" All eyes were on me.

"Oberon broke into my house, Loki was with him. Oberon told me he was giving us a warning about an army and… the end of the world." Needless to add in the night I had spent with Loki beforehand. In my mind, that never happened. Not after he had betrayed me.

Thor looked at me, obviously happy that I had given this information up. Happy because I wasn't protecting the enemy. He laid a hand on my shoulder. "And we will stop him once again, Veronica."

I gave him a small smile.

"Thank you. Miss Parker," Fury said. Fury went on to brief us on Oberon's powers (which we already knew) and his known hideouts. "Training commences directly after lunch. Stark, Parker? I recommend you two get some rest."

He didn't have to tell Tony twice. Before the words were out of Fury's mouth, Tony had risen to his feet, let out a yawn, and made his way to his old quarters. I gave Fury a small smile, grabbed a bottle of water, and went to bed as well.

My room was exactly as I had left it. Maybe a little cleaner, but the layout and color scheme was all the same. "Why blue?" I said to myself, taking in the monochromatic color scheme.

I pulled off my leather coat and laid it across a chair. After unarming myself and changing into a pair of sweats and T-shirt, I fell back onto the bed, not even bothering to pull down the sheets. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

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><p><em>I was walking down a long hallway. It curved as I walked and the old window panes distorted the moonlight as it fell through the windows and onto white-tiled floors. I could hear someone let out a scream of pain, but I wasn't sure where exactly the anguished cry was coming from. All I knew was that I knew whose lips it was escaping from. I started jogging down the hall, not caring if the heels of my boots clicked along the hard tiles.<em>

_ I pushed my way through a set of double doors and found a sight that I dearly wished I hadn't. Loki was on the ground, clutching his head between his hands. Oberon stood menacingly over him, somehow controlling Loki. _

_ I felt tears brim in my eyes to see Loki like this. All of my anger at him dissolved to see Oberon treating him this way. Anger that soon became channeled at Oberon. _

_ "You think you can defy me, Loki Odinson?" Oberon's hollow voice echoed. "Just remember. You no longer serve yourself. You serve me now." _

_ Oberon turned on his heel, facing me. I tensed, expecting him to attack me, but he merely walked right up to me and passed through me as if I were smoke. _

_ The doors closed and I was left in the room with the broken man crouched on the floor. _

_ He was crouched over, rocking back and forth on his heels. He was murmuring indecipherable words to himself. He obviously did not realize I was there. _

_ I bit my lip. This was a trick. I knew it was. But that didn't stop me from walking up to Loki and laying a hand on his shoulder. _

_ He stiffened immediately and snapped his head up to look at me. Bright red eyes peered back at me where blue-green orbs should have been and his skin was tinged in blue. "Veronica…" he said, but his voice began to mix with someone else's…_

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><p>"Veronica!" Someone was shaking me. I opened my eyes to see Thor standing over my bed. "You were screaming," he said quietly as I sat up.<p>

Was I? I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure about anything anymore. "Oh. My bad. Nightmare."

I flinched as I felt a searing pain in my wrist. I looked down at Loki's mark, massaging it in an effort to rub the pain away.

Thor studied me for a minute. "It was about Loki, was it not?"

I wrapped my arms around my knees, peering over the tops of my arms at Thor. "Yeah…" I said after a few seconds.

"What did you see?"

"I saw Oberon and Loki… Loki was being… tortured…" I choked back tears at the image of Loki, broken and driven mad, huddled on the floor. And the red eyes…

After several attempts, I was able to tell Thor about the dream.

He stood up from the seat he had taken at the foot of my bed and paced the room, rubbing his beard. "What could this mean?" he said thoughtfully to no one in particular. I wiped away my tears and got out of the bed.

"We'd best not dwell on it now, Thor," I said, slipping into robot-mode and turning off all my emotions. "We have training to do."

He looked at me carefully, then nodded. "Alright, then."

As I dressed, however, I couldn't get Loki's broken body from the back of my mind. What on earth did this mean? Why would Oberon torture an ally? I didn't even allow myself to consider that Loki was there against his will. If Loki had wanted out, all he had to do was leave. No. This had to be a trick.

It may have even been Oberon's idea of a sick joke. I slipped my boots on, ran a brush through my hair, and left my room. Maybe a day of training with the Avengers was just what I needed to clear my head.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: So. I had no internet access over the weekend, but I was able to get on my laptop. On the positive side, I turned out three brand new chapters for you all to read!**

**Then, when I was finally able to upload them, the site wouldn't let me log on to my account, making for an even longer wait for both myself and you all (I cannot wait to hear feedback on these next chapters as I am very pleased with them). I humbly apologize. Has this been happening to anyone else? **

**Still don't own any Marvel characters. OC and plotline are mine. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Come on, Sunshine," Stark said. "Hit me!"<p>

With a grunt, I sent Stark flying across the sparring area. He landed against the wall with an "ooof." "Not bad. Not bad at all. Maybe we need to piss you off more often."

I shook my hand out, cringing at the pain the force of the punch had induced. Maybe hitting a metal man wasn't the best idea. "It certainly helps, doesn't it?" I looked across the training room at the batch of super heroes practicing. Thor and Steve were trading blows in the other sparring area, and Banner was doing something quietly in the corner.

BOOOM! I nearly jumped ten feet in the air as an explosion echoed from the weapons room.

"Hawkeye must have gotten his hands on those exploding arrows," Tony said nonchalantly.

My eyes went wide as I nodded. Hawkeye certainly was a character. "Can I spar against the real you, now?" I asked. My hand really was starting to hurt.

Iron Man cocked his robotic head to the left. "What? Am I too tough for you?"

I smiled. "No. I just would like to preserve the bones of my hand for future use."

I heard him laugh as his suit shot back into the glove on his hand. "Fine," he said as he donned the appropriate safety gear. "But don't go too hard on me. I'm not used to fighting without the suit."

I smirked as I stepped forward. Standing on the lines each of us had to mark where to begin, we brought our fists up.

I attacked first, bringing my fist to the padding that covered his head. He retaliated by bringing both hands to the side of my head and bopping me over the ears. I shook my head to get rid of the ringing sensation. It went on and on and by the time we were finished, we were both equally bruised.

"Maybe," I said, catching my breath, "we should call a quits."

Stark was jumping up and down. "No way, Sunshine. I'm on a roll today." I rolled my eyes and stood back up on the line.

Then I got an idea. Something he would never expect. As the round commenced, I dove for his middle, tackling him to the ground. I got up quickly, keeping my guard up. He shook the stars from his eyes. "No fair," he said, still grinning.

Then he kicked my feet out from under me. I landed beside him on my face and pushed myself over on my back. I died laughing. "Who said I played fair?" We got up again, this time losing all formalities. I dodged his wild haymakers and under arm swings that really only would have worked if he had been in his suit. I dodged them easily.

He was like the older brother I never had. He didn't hold back and truly wanted to see me succeed. He pinned me down once, but I brought my arm around his neck and caught him in a headlock. He grabbed my knee and I laughed out loud, but I didn't release my grip on his head.

"What. Are. You two doing?" Steve's voice came from across the room. My head was turned so I couldn't see him walk up to the mat, but I could hear his footsteps sounding as he walked.

Tony turned to Steve, distracted, and I took the chance to land him on his back. I stood up as Steve made it to the mat. "Nothing," I said innocently, hands clasped behind my back, and widening my big blue eyes like a school girl's. "Stark was just being mean so I had to teach him a lesson," I said, turning to Tony and giving him a smirk. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Steve looked between the two of us, clearly trying to decide if we were up to trouble. Satisfied, he then said, "Well, training's about done I think. We were actually considering heading down to a bar for drinks. Would you two care to join us?"

A flashback of Thor's drinking abilities danced across my mind. "I think I'll stay in tonight," I said. I was still really tired.

"Hell, I'm coming," Tony said. "I've been meaning to buy Banner a drink since I pissed him off last year."

Steve and I looked from one another to Tony. Tony answered our looks with a little shrug. "I mentioned his little," he brought a hand to hide his mouth and whispered the next word, "problem in front of the whole National Guard."

So he was referring to the time that I had asked him to piss Banner off in the battle a year ago. I rolled my eyes. "I heard that, Tony," Banner's voice trailed across the room. I stifled a laugh.

The boys left shortly after training. I was glad I had decided not to go. Five men in a bar was not exactly my idea of a nice evening, especially when I was feeling so crappy.

I walked down the hall, ducking into a small classroom to avoid a rather agitated looking Coulson, and found myself back in the common area. Grabbing a quick snack, I walked down the hall to my bedroom. I wasn't worried about seeing Loki pop out of nowhere. Not anymore.

I collapsed on my bed, hoping that sleep would come without nightmares, but the image of Loki, broken in body and mind, played in front of my vision as I attempted to drift to sleep. I went on like this for two hours, trying to get the image from my mind. That dream was certainly not helping my status as a fully functional member of the team.

I was just falling into a doze, somewhere between sleep and alertness, when my pager went off around eleven P.M. I reached over to the bedside table and opened up the message.

_Avenger's meeting in half an hour. _

I let out a groan. That meant even less of a chance to fall asleep and catch up on much needed hours. Hopefully the guys would be back in time.

I got up and got dressed, not wanting to fall asleep with only fifteen minutes.

No one was in the common area yet, so I took that to mean that the others were still out. Oh well. It looked like it would be just Fury and me. Wonderful. I sat down in one of the chairs around the table.

As if on cue, the rest of the Avengers filed into the room, with Fury bringing up the rear. Banner looked positively awful and Tony was even more lackadaisical than usual. He staggered slightly and Thor steadied him.

"How ya doin, Sunshine?" Stark slurred.

I looked at him. I wished I was back in my room, cuddled up with my insomnia and not having to deal with real life right now.

Everyone sat down except Fury who took a place at the head of the table. "Avenger's, we have just gotten word of a massive break-in out in the SHIELD headquarters of California." I took in a breath, practically able to tell what was coming next. "Loki has been spotted attacking troops and making his way to the lower vaults. We are not sure what the break-in was targeted towards, but, whatever it is, it isn't good."

_Yeah, no shit, Fury._


	11. Chapter 11

~Loki~

Oberon was standing by one of the windows in the vast room Loki had come to know as his office. Loki staggered in, carefully placing each foot in front of him, willing himself to move forward.

"I am very disappointed in your lack of enthusiasm, old friend," Oberon's voice echoed across the stony room.

Loki cringed, half-expecting to be tortured again. Oberon had nearly killed him with the terrible visions of Veronica dead or his old home of Asgard burning to the ground. And then there had been the physical pain…

"I am sorry to disappoint," he said, a trace of his usual arrogance slipping into his voice.

"I am not entirely convinced, however, that I need to spare your lover now. Especially with that last pitiful attempt to take my life." That was what had brought upon the torture…

Oberon turned to face Loki. "So. I need you to prove to me that your little Veronica deserves to live."

Loki stared blankly at the man.

"Here's your new mission. I had it typed up especially for you." Oberon pulled out a document and scooted it across the desk to Loki's waiting hands. He opened it and looked up at Oberon in mild horror.

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><p>~Veronica~<p>

I looked at Fury with mild interest, only vaguely registering what was going on. Massive break-in, California, lower vaults… Loki…

Thoughts swam through my head, never linking together to form coherent ideas. I couldn't tell if it was from shock or lack of sleep, but either way I wasn't any help to the situation.

I rocked back in my seat, balancing the two back legs of the chair with my weight. Fury received another incoming message on the walkie-talkie. "Sir?" a female voice came through. It was heavily accented in Russian and I didn't know who it belonged to. "Loki is in custody."

What! Why on earth would he do a thing like that? There was no way SHIELD agents could overtake him, not with him willingly fighting their every move. But maybe he hadn't been fighting. _Stop it, Veronica. You are clutching at straws again._ It was true. I would have loved to find Loki turning himself in to stop fighting, but that sort of thing only happened in fairytales.

And my life most definitely was not a fairytale.

"Bring him in," was all Fury said through the walkie-talkie. He turned to me. "Did you know anything about this?"

I shook my head. "I honestly did not."

He looked at me for a second more before deciding to believe me. "Good. Because you'll be questioning him."

Several hours later I was standing in front of the entrance to the interrogation room. Why on earth and Fury asked me to do this, you might ask? Well, I was asking myself that same question. This was going to be extremely hard. I smoothed my shirt and walked into the room.

I gasped when I saw the man sitting in front of me. Loki matched exactly the same condition my dreams had depicted him to be in minus the red eyes and blue skin.

He looked up, a scowl on his face, before he realized who I was. The scowl melted into a look of peaceful resignation. I crossed my arms, lingering in the doorway. I refused to meet his eyes, but I could feel his blue-green gaze trying to meet mine.

Finally, I looked up. I knew that every word being said was being recorded right now and I didn't exactly want to confront Loki with the entire SHIELD agency's ears against the wall.

"You did a pretty good job taking out our men," I said quietly, working into the interview in a way that I had seen Fury do countless times. "Tell me something, why were you infiltrating SHIELD?"

I stepped closer to the table, waiting for him to respond. I needed to know how he had gotten in this condition. That meant I needed him out of SHIELD's range of vision.

With as little conspicuity as possible, I met his eyes and began to shoot him a message with body language. I looked over to the three corners of the room that held cameras. Turning the left side of my face to the corner without a camera, I gave him a quick wink, hoping he would take the hint and play along.

He squinted at me and I nearly groaned. You would think the god of mischief would be a little more subtle. Then he finally got it. "I don't see why I should tell you anything, Love," he said, sitting up in his seat. And then more quietly, he began to murmur to himself and clutch his head, pulling at his hair.

That was definitely not normal, not even for him to be playing along with my ploy to throw Fury off so I could talk to Loki alone.

I walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, taking in the feel of sinewy muscle beneath the ragged armor and his head shot up to look at me. At my touch, I felt power surge between us and I nearly fell over from the potency of it. I felt the mark on my wrist burn and he clutched at a spot on his chest.

Images passed through my mind like wildfire. My knees went weak to see him in such a state. So my dream had been true. Oberon had been torturing him. But why?

I realized that our little moment would look extremely suspicious to anyone watching, so, to prove myself, I slammed his head into the table. I bent over his shoulder. "Just bear with me," I whispered swiftly in his ear.

I pulled away from him and left the room quickly, his murmuring recommencing as I walked away. "You're not going to get anything from him, Fury. Not tonight." Fury looked at me, debating what to do. "He's gone mad, Nick. Please just… let him get some rest. We will do better with him under surveillance for a while."

Fury nodded. "I have to agree with you, Parker." He turned on his heel to make the necessary arrangements to secure Loki.

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><p>~Loki~<p>

Loki was ushered from the small room by a guard of five men. If he had been feeling like his old self, he would have found the ridiculously dressed men funny. In fact, if he had been feeling like his old self, the guards wouldn't have made it this far.

The doors to a holding cell slid open and he was pushed inside.

He dropped to the ground and curled up, remembering…

_Oberon. _

_ Oberon had sent him to completely wipe out SHIELD headquarters in California. Loki had gotten there and blew up a few gas tanks before he had allowed himself to be surrounded and apprehended. This was the perfect scenario. Now all he needed was time. Time to get to Veronica. And then they would run. Run far away from Oberon. He would protect her. Everything would be alright as long as they were together. _

The only thing Loki hadn't counted on was a complete mental breakdown. Somewhere along the line- it must have started with Oberon's torture methods- Loki had felt something in his head snap.

After this startling realization, all concept of time melted away.

After what felt like a lifetime, Loki's eyes snapped open. He felt stronger. Much stronger. Grabbing hold to his last shred of sanity, Loki stood up and splashed his face with cold water from the small sink that was next to the toilet. The two appliances and a rather uncomfortable looking bed were all that the room's furniture consisted of.

The water helped to restore his alertness and he felt his grasp on reality growing stronger by the minute. Veronica's presence must have restored his powers back to health. He wasn't sure how he felt about having to depend on someone else for his powers, but he knew that if he had to depend on anyone, he wanted it to be her.

With reality came pain. He looked down at his chest, concealed by his armor, and laid a hand over the scar that Veronica's powers had left on him. He unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it back away from the scar. The scar was glowing slightly with a faint, yellow light emanating around the edges.

He quickly brought the shirt back over his chest as footsteps sounded in the hallway outside his cell.


	12. Chapter 12

~Veronica~

The heels of my boots echoed with each step I took down the hallways of SHIELD. My thoughts dwelled on Loki, partially because I was on my way to see him right now. It had been two days since his capture, and I hoped that he had recovered partially from the damage I knew Oberon had inflicted.

I was angry beyond reason. Angry at Oberon, angry at the unfairness of the whole situation. I still wasn't sure about the whole situation with the two's alliance and the vision I had had at Loki's touch made me even more confused. The mark on my wrist burned insistently, and I massaged it with my thumb.

I walked right up to the guards that were stationed in front of Loki's cell.

"I'm here to interrogate the prisoner, gentlemen. Go get yourselves some coffee."

The guards snapped to attention, saluted me, and walked down the hallway to the break room.

I took a deep breath as I scanned my thumb on the pad by the door. The doors opened with a hiss. I shook my head. I could never get over just how much this place reminded me of Star Wars.

I stepped into the cell, and the doors closed behind me.

"Loki?" I said quietly. His back was to mine, his head tilted down as if he were looking at something on his chest.

His head snapped around at the sound of my voice. "Veronica," he said quietly. "You gave me quite a headache at our last meeting." Sure enough I could see a purple bruise at the center of his forehead. His once sleeked back hair was starting to peel away from his head and it fell in subtle curls around his pointed face.

I gave him a small smile. "Sorry. But Fury wouldn't have believed me if I had been easy on you."

He looked at me. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Care so much about the others and their opinions."

"Well," I said. "I'm part of their team, Fury's my boss, and I happen to be friends with my team mates."

He tilted his head to the left. "You are better than that," he said quietly. He uncrossed his arms, and I realized his shirt was unbuttoned. It fell open, revealing numerous new scars on his chest. I crossed the short distance between us, pulling the fabric farther away from his chest. He tried to resist, but I wouldn't take no for an answer.

I choked back tears as my eyes poured over his chest. Scars. Terrible, red welts stretched across the alabaster skin. "What… happened to you?"

His long fingers tilted my chin up so he could meet my eyes. "What you saw… in the interrogation room… it really happened. And I swear to you, Love, I am not lying. Not this time."

I tore my eyes from his gaze and my eyes lighted on a handprint shaped scar just over his heart. Confusion, then understanding hit me like a tidal wave. "Oh my God," I said quietly. My fingers touched the bare flesh around the scar and I heard him suppress a groan. But it wasn't because of pain.

He brought his fingers to where mine rested on his chest and brought my hand to his face. I could feel the fierce magnetism that always pulled us together when we were anywhere near each other for a fixed amount of time pulling me towards him, into his embrace.

"Are you better?" I said softly. His eyes snapped open as his gaze met mine.

"I am now. And you?"

I looked over at the wall. "I- I'm not sure anymore, Loki. I'm so… confused."

His fingers travelled to my chin and brought my face back to look at him. "About what?"

I laughed, but it wasn't out of humor. "You. You show up at my doorstep, claiming you love me, then the next thing I know you're with Oberon. Then your back here, purposefully getting caught by SHIELD and talking to voices in your head which magically disappear after another few days. Loki, I don't know what to believe in anymore."

"It's like you don't know me at all, Love. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that is why you are so attracted to me?" He kissed my forehead chastely and brought his forehead down to mine. " But. If you need something to believe in, believe in us," was all he said. "It's the only thing that has kept me going this far."

I closed my eyes, shivering at the proximity of his lips to my own. "Why did you go with him?"

"He threatened to hurt you if I didn't help him. My coming here was an effort to get away from him and back to you. So I could protect you."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his collarbone and taking in the scent of his skin. I felt his lips brush the top of my head, and his cool breath caressed my hair. "Don't ever leave me again," I whispered into his neck.

At that particular moment, I didn't care if all of SHIELD saw me. All I knew was that I was safe in Loki's arms.

"I promise you. I will not," he said quietly. I felt the familiar power surge between us and I let out a happy sigh. This was where I belonged. Where I always had and always would. The pressure of his arms around my waist comforted me.

I don't know how long we stood there, but it was his voice that broke me from my thoughts. "Can I ask you something?"

I looked up at him. "Sure."

"Would you run away with me if I asked you to?"

"What? As in from here? From SHIELD?"

He merely looked back at me, not a trace of hesitation in his blue-green gaze.

I bit my lower lip. I knew my answer before I had time to think it out.

"No."

He looked slightly taken aback. "Why not?"

"Loki. My job is to protect people. I can't very well do that if I am gallivanting around with you. Besides you forget who is locked up in here. If I ran away with you, they would know I let you out. I would be a criminal."

He shrugged as I stepped away from him. "That never stopped me, Love. And we are so very much alike." He caught my hand in his own. "Just consider it."

I smiled sadly. "I won't."

He returned the same, sad smile. "I know."

And then I turned on my heel and left the jail cell, making my way back to my bedroom.

**Please Review! **


	13. Chapter 13

I was finally able to fall asleep that night, knowing that Loki was at least stable. But, in my dreams the thoughts of running away with him from my responsibilities surfaced repeatedly.

I woke up to my alarm clock, feeling better than I had since leaving L.A.

The situation with Oberon had grown pretty stagnant since Loki's capture. Nothing else had resurfaced as to why he had sent Loki after SHIELD in California or even where Oberon was hiding out. Fury had been working on Loki to determine Oberon's whereabouts, but, just as I expected, Loki wasn't budging. He didn't trust Fury at all and I'm pretty sure all he wanted right about then was to be out of that cell. I couldn't blame him.

Each time I visited Loki, the strength of our powers multiplied. I still wasn't sure about the whole power enhancement, but I had a feelin git had something to do with the marks of eachother we both bore.

In the back of my mind I worried about Loki getting past Fury one day with his new found strength, but either Loki was biding his time or he hadn't realized the power thing yet. I was going to have to go with the first choice. It was only a matter of time.

I got dressed and prepared for an hour of training. I still owed Stark a rematch from our fight a few days ago and I wanted to get it over with.

"Good morning," I said to the team as I walked out to the common area. "So what's the lowdown for today?"

Steve looked up from his coffee. "Practice, training, and more practice," he said to me. "Oberon's gonna be tough to beat if we are all out of shape."

I nodded. "He'll be tough to beat either way, Steve."

"Why so pessimistic, Sunshine?" Stark asked me from across the room. He was shooting paper wads into a wastebasket like basketballs and, by my count, he wasn't getting many in.

"It's not pessimism. It's the truth. He has Loki scared and that in itself is a huge feat," Thor spoke up.

I nodded, not caring to mention exactly _why_ Loki was scared to disobey Oberon. I would get some pretty weird looks if I tried to make "Hostile 23"look like he had feelings.

Training commenced a half hour later.

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><p>Stark and I were back on the sparring mat, ready to spring into action. I blocked his first blow, stepping back a few feet as he came at me again. I dodged him again and even got in a swing of my own.<p>

Then I saw something behind Stark that made my blood run cold. I stopped what I was doing and froze.

Loki was hovering behind Stark's left shoulder, a smirk plastered on his face. He placed a long finger over his lips, telling me to "Shhhhh."

By the time I had registered this, Stark had overpowered me and knocked me down. I sprawled on my back, catching myself with arms extended behind me.

"Damn," Stark said, helping me up. "You're really off today."

I kept staring at the spot where Loki had appeared. He was gone now. "Did… did you see that?" I asked carefully.

Stark looked over his shoulder then back at me. "See what? You didn't get into the hallucinogens, did you? Because speaking from personal-"

"No." I kept my eyes fixed on the spot. "Loki…" Was I going crazy now? Stark's expression did nothing to convince me otherwise.

"Loki's locked up three stories underground," he said quietly, not wanting to alert the others. "We'd know if he got out."

I wasn't so sure about Stark's last statement, but I kept my mouth shut.

After lunch, Fury brought us all together for another meeting. I sat with my feet propped up, barely registering what was going on. I kept expecting Loki to pop up randomly behind Fury.

"After several attempts to get the needed information from Hostile 23," (Fury was referring to Loki) "We have come up empty. We still have no clue as to Oberon's whereabouts. Scanners have been unable to detect any magic activity and there have been no new murders or suspicious disappearances."

Of course there weren't. Oberon was just waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"I will try to get information from Hostile 23 once more tonight, but I doubt any good will come from it. We may need to try alternate methods of persuasion." My head snapped up at that. There was no way in hell I was going to let Fury torture Loki. But before I could interrupt, a smooth voice called from the doorway.

"That won't be necessary, Nick," Loki said.

Even Nick Fury was surprised to see Loki out and about. I suppressed a smirk as I stood up.

"Brother!" Thor boomed. "What-"

"Not now, dear brother," Loki said, cutting him off. "I am powerful now, and I am willing to help… For a price."

Fury looked at Loki for a moment. "What is it?" he said quietly.

Loki looked at me, then sauntered over to loop an arm around my waist. "I want Miss Parker and myself to be granted freedom to leave SHIELD headquarters."

"Out of the question," Fury said. I couldn't agree more. I glared up at Loki and he smirked, merely tightening his grip on my waist.

My protest was cut off by a large explosion that blew the glass from the windows out, showering the room in shards of glass. Loki threw himself over me protectively, clearly not expecting that turn of events.

Everything was a blur after that. I noticed Fury struggling to his feet, then being beat down by a strange being. It looked like a man, but there was something about it that made it… animal-like. Maybe the way it was hunched over?

Another explosion and I was flung from Loki's grasp. Another figure emerged from the gaping hole in the glass… She looked all too familiar.

As I registered the new face, I was slung against a wall and I crumpled to the ground. I felt something sharp pierce my chest, digging deep into my body. I looked down to see a dagger-shaped piece of glass protruding from my chest. Immediately, the ability to breathe felt like an impossibility. I heard Loki screaming my name. My ears rang as I struggled to stay conscious.

The last thing I remember was the face of Heliviti and everything went dark.

* * *

><p>~Loki~<p>

Loki coughed up dust as glass rained down on him. he looked around spastically for Veronica. Where had she gone?

He heard her coughing and turned to see her pinned against a wall by a single, thick glass shard embedded in her chest. "Veronica!" he screamed. He ran towards her, knocking one of the hell-beasts out of his way, Veronica the only thing in his mind.

Before he could reach her, his old ally Heliviti had blocked his path.

"Sorry, hun," she said. "But I'm pretty sure she's a goner."

"Hel. So nice to see you," he quipped. "What? Even hell didn't want you in its dimension?"

She smirked. He knew that she was trying to stall him. To let Veronica die without helping her.

Loki flung a burst of magic at the hell-god. He landed her on her back, presumably unconscious, and ran towards Veronica's limp form. He dodged another hell-beast (that was all he could call it. He had never seen anything like it before) and ran to Veronica's side.

"Come on, Love," he said. He didn't want to remove the glass from her chest. It may cause her lungs to collapse.

As he tried to lift her, he went extremely weak all of the sudden. He checked her pulse to see that her heartbeat was very faint. That meant his strength, his powers, were draining as her life force drained. He fought back bitter tears as he tried in vain to lift her.

A heavy metal hand came down on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Iron Man.

"Let me," Stark said.

Loki looked down at Veronica. Was this arrogant man really trying to take her from him? Like the insufferable mortal could do anything for her that he couldn't?

Then he handed her up to him. Stark lifted her up in robotic arms. "Meet us at this address," he said, handing Loki a slip of paper as the battle raged on around them. It felt extremely out of place. "We're trying to get as many people out as possible. But it ain't looking pretty."

And then Iron Man had blasted through the ceiling, taking Veronica with him.

Anger boiled inside Loki as he watched Hel take on Thor. He stood up from where Veronica had been, the pool of blood she had left behind the only indicator she had been there. With anger, he felt his powers magnify.

He jumped into the fight alongside Thor, making artful strokes against Hel. She slashed her whip at Thor's hammer, trying to disarm him. Thor retaliated by knocking her across the face with it. She flew out the window as Loki shot a force-field disc into her middle.

Thor looked at his brother, simply stunned.

Hell-beasts were still everywhere. "It's lost, brother," was all Loki said. And then he had taken off, going to the address that would take him to Veronica, not caring if his brother followed.

He hoped to Valhalla that she would be alive when he got there.


	14. Chapter 14

~Veronica~

As consciousness crept back upon me, memories surfaced.

Explosion. Oberon. SHIELD. Hostile 23. Loki. Glass. Glass everywhere. In my chest.

Then sentences…

Loki was out of his cell. Fury was telling us something about… Oberon. That's right. Loki had gotten out then an explosion had gone off… no not just one… several explosions. Hel was back…

I was vaguely aware of someone holding my hand. The owner was cold. I felt the familiar rush of energy that always alerted me to Loki's presence. Then I remembered the glass that should have taken my life.

Only I wasn't dead.

I turned my head to the side and opened my eyes. I tried to talk, but my mouth was too dry.

How long had I been out?

I heard Loki let out a sigh of relief when he saw me open my eyes. He brought his lips to the hand that he held in his own. "I thought I had lost you," he whispered against the back of my hand.

"You aren't going to get rid of me that easily," I croaked. I tried to sit up, but an intense pain in my chest stopped me. "Owww," I said stupidly.

Loki's hand shot out and caught me as I fell backwards onto the pillow. "Your body has been through a lot. The only thing that saved you was your super-human strength. If there is one thing my brother did right, it was giving you those powers."

I ignored his jab at Thor. Then my thoughts shot to the others. "Where is everyone?" I said forcefully. "Did everyone make it out? What day is it?"

Loki looked at me, obviously considering what to tell me. "Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark, and Thor escaped. But Fury, Hawkeye, and Banner have not shown themselves."

My heart sank. "Where are we?"

"We are in one of Stark's underground bunkers west of Chicago."

"Are the others… alive?" I barely managed to get the last question out. I was so scared of the answer.

"Our sources believe so, Love," Loki said, sweeping a hand over my forehead and pushing my bangs to the side. "Oberon has taken over Avenger's tower, though. They are probably in custody."

Well. At least there was the possibility they weren't dead. I looked down at the strips of bandages that were stretched across my chest. "I should be dead," I said. He nodded, not trying to conceal the truth from me.

"Nothing can measure the amount of happiness it gives me to see you alive."

I smiled softly at him, stretching my hand out to rest it against his cheek. "I love you."

He grinned, a truly happy smile. "There was a time when you would not admit that to yourself."

"I know. But losing you, getting you back, then seeing you change into something so much more than the lost prince you were has made me realize just how much I am in love with you." Maybe it was the anesthesia that was making me so mushy, but I meant what I said. I suddenly felt very tired and my eyes started to droop.

He kissed my forehead. "Maybe someday we will finally be able to tell each other something heart-felt when one of us isn't on death's door." He stood up. "Get some sleep. You've been asleep for five days, but your body needs it."

Five days? I didn't even have time to comprehend that that was a long time before the morphine pulled me under and I was asleep once more.

~Loki~

Loki closed the door of the hospital room quietly behind him. Happiness bubbled up inside him and he let out a genuine smile. That is, until he came upon Captain Rogers, leaning against the wall around the corner.

"Is she better?" was all Steve said to the god of mischief.

"Quite," Loki replied.

Steve stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you try anything…"

Loki cut him off. He looked up at Captain America, inwardly cringing at the fact that he had to look up to talk to a mere mortal. "I have what I want, Mr. Rogers."

Steve's blue eyes flashed dangerously. "That's what concerns me, Loki."

Loki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"Look. Veronica has people that care about her here. We all look out for one another. We can't afford to have one bad apple ruin the bunch. You're treading on thin ice here as it is. I have half a mind to keep you locked up. One wrong move, Loki, and you are out. And if you hurt her," Steve said, gesturing towards the hospital room, "I'll kill you myself if the others don't do it for me first."

Loki had to admire the mortal's gall even if it was a bit overdone.

Loki smirked up at the captain and brushed past him, continuing on to his chambers.

~Veronica~

The next time I woke up, the bandages on my chest were gone and all that remained of my injury was a jagged scar stitched up along the ribs under my left breast. Oh well. I hadn't ever been much of a bikini wearer anyway.

When I tried to sit up, the wound didn't hurt and I felt much, much better.

A nurse helped me shower, and into jeans and a T-shirt.

I tried to walk down the hall on my own. I stumbled, but before the nurse could catch me, Loki's hand appeared out of nowhere and pulled me to him. He planted a gentle kiss on my lips, sending me into a different type of dizziness.

He motioned for the nurse to back away, and I guess she did because he pulled me closer to him and pressed his lips to mine harder than the first time.

You would think I would have felt semi-awkward about making out with him in the middle of a hallway, but I didn't. I had never felt more _right_ in my entire life. His tongue flicked against my upper lip, asking for entrance. ..

"Hello, Lovebirds," came a familiar voice from down the hall. I pulled away quickly and Loki suppressed a smirk, looking down at his boots.

Stark was walking briskly up to us. "I heard you were awake," he said to me. "Decided to come check up on ya."

I smiled. "I'm doing fine, Tony, thank you."

"There's a meeting in two hours if you feel up to it," Tony said, more to me than Loki. "It's been two weeks since we got here and we figure it's about time to start an offensive tactic."

I looped my arm through Loki's. "We'll be there," I said charmingly.

Tony nodded and continued to walk past us. "You two try to stay out of trouble," he called over his shoulder, then he was gone.

"Well, we have two hours to kill," Loki said. "What do you want to do? We can tour the bunker if you want. It really is quite impressive, even by my standards."

I looked up at him. "I can think of a few ways to pass the time," I said, running a hand from his shoulder, down his arm, until our fingers intertwined. He had changed out of his beat-up armor and was wearing a light blue collared shirt and faded blue-jeans. Midgardian clothes.

He looked down at me, understanding sparking in his eyes, and a toothless grin spread across his face.

An hour later, we were both lying in his bed, our clothing strewn across the bedroom floor. I rested my head on his bare chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. He had one arm draped around me, his cool hand resting in between my shoulder blades. That in itself was enough to make me shiver with desire.

I smiled as I remembered what had passed between us. We had very nearly missed the bed…

"Well," I said. "It looks like you got what you wanted in the end, doesn't it?"

He kissed the top of my head. "I always do," he said arrogantly. "But in this case I am unsure of exactly what you mean."

"We got away from SHIELD and we're together... partially alone."

"Well, it certainly was good timing for an attack to occur. I was afraid I might have to get nasty."

My mind turned. "Loki?"

"Hmmm?" he said, rubbing my back with his thumb in small circles.

"You… you didn't know about that attack… did you?"

I felt him tense up. "Of course not. You almost died. Do you think I would have let anything happen that would have put you in danger?"

I rolled away from him, lying on my side, my back to him.

"Hey," he said quietly. I felt his touch against my shoulder as he planted a gentle kiss on the top of my shoulder blade. "I swear I did not know."

I gave in to his touch and turned back around to allow him to kiss me full on the mouth.

We were interrupted by my pager going off on the bedside table. I rolled my eyes and reached over to silence it. His lips merely moved to my throat.

_Meeting in half an hour. _

_Bring Donuts : ) _

My annoyance at the interruption quickly dissolved to see Stark's little message on the pager. I think he had secretly been planning on hotwiring the page system to do that back in headquarters before we had fallen under attack.

"Let's go," I said, getting up and slipping into my clothes.

"You go, Love," he said quietly. "I know when I'm not wanted. And I do not particularly care to associate with the Avnegers any more than they want to associate with me."

I slipped my leather jacket on and brushed my hair out from under the collar. I turned to face him. "Whether you like it or not, Loki, they have generously taken you in. I think you should try to at least make nice with them."

And with that, I grabbed his hand and threatened to take him outside in nothing but his skin if he didn't get ready. I don't think he would have minded showing up butt-naked to an Avenger's meeting, but I was able to convince him to get dressed and walk out the door with fifteen minutes to spare.

_Whoopee_. I thought to myself. _This was about to get interesting._

**Please tell me how I'm doing! **


	15. Chapter 15

I walked through the double doors of the meeting room, Loki trailing behind me. I was greeted with slaps on my back and a bone-crushing hug from Thor. Apparently no one was concerned about rupturing my stitches.

I was given a seat at a long, mahogany table that ran down the length of the room. Old maps littered the surface. They looked like they had been there forever and Stark had probably never bothered to move them. Sure enough, I could see coffee rings from the bottoms of mugs along some of the antique maps.

I noticed that there were only just enough seats for the Avengers, and turned around to see Loki standing quietly against the wall. I let out a sigh. These guys certainly weren't trying to make working together easier…

Stark called the meeting to order, banging a gavel at the head of the table. He grinned when everyone turned their heads at the noise. "I always wanted to do that," he said through his smile. "Steve? Take it away, my friend." He sat down and Steve stood up, rolling his eyes at Stark's silliness. I couldn't help but suppress a small smile.

"Alrighty," Steve said as he loosened his shirt collar. "Let's get started. So we know Oberon has infiltrated Avenger's tower and that our old enemy Heliviti is back…." Steve stood there awkwardly, clearly not used to having to lead informational meetings.

"Pssst," I heard Tony say as he slid a file over to Steve. Steve caught it, shooting Tony a grateful glance. Tony gave him the thumbs up.

"Our sources have indicated that the lower levels of SHIELD have lost all power and rolling blackouts have swept New York City. The FBI and other agencies have been working together to get as many people away from there as possible under pretense of severe storms and earthquakes. Of course, we know that not to be the case. And then there is the problem with our fellow Avengers. Fury, Bruce, and Barton have been captured by Oberon's forces. We are not sure where they are being held, but we know they are alive, if not well."

He opened the file and pulled out the photos, passing them to Thor on his right. The animal in the picture looked exactly like what I had seen before I had passed out. The gray skin and monstrous face automatically gave them away. They stood on two hind legs, but it looked like they were more accustomed to using all four limbs to move around, like a really skinny gorilla.

I thought I had only imagined them…

"These are hell-hounds. All we know is that they are highly dangerous and inject a sort of poison into victims that causes instant paralysis. Put simply, don't let them get close enough to touch you."

He pulled out another picture, passing it around the table once more. "New weapons developed by Oberon over the course of this past year. Lots of fire power, but unlike last time, its magic that's powering them. We aren't sure what they are," he said as the picture made it to me. Rows upon rows of circular orbs glowing bright red filled the picture. "But they're not good. Sorry, Veronica, looks like you won't be able to shut these down with your powers this time go round."

I inhaled sharply at Steve's mentioning of my attempt at killing Loki. I tensed up as the memory ran across my mind.

I heard Loki snort behind me. "Is something amusing, Brother?" Thor boomed from across the room.

I turned around to see Loki, a smirk plastered across his face, looking at the situation like it was a joke.

He brought his hands together in a small, single clap. "Why yes," he replied, not even looking at Thor. "I am wondering how I could have lost to this group of… misfits," he said, truly perplexed. " I mean, look at you all. You sit here passing around photos of the enemy while your enemy grows stronger by the hour. From what I saw before I escaped from Oberon, he is determined to rule no matter the cost."_ Well. Didn't that sound familiar?_ "What you need is help, and, fortunately for you all, you have me."

Thor stood up, knocking his chair over from the force he pushed off of it. "Nay, Brother," he said. "We can handle ourselves."

Loki lifted his hand and brought it down, causing Thor to smash his face into the table. "Hardly, dear Brother. Now. You see what I just did to you? Multiply that by a hundred. Oberon will be that strong."

"Aren't you the god of magic?" Stark said after recovering from a fit of laughter at Thor's expression from getting his head knocked into the table by some unseen force. "How did some other dude get more powerful than you?"

"Oberon has lived in this realm for centuries. He has grown accustomed to Midgardian power sources and spells. I, on the other hand, have only been in Midgard for two years. One of which I was asleep, Mr. Stark."

Tony's eyes shifted to me, then back up at Loki. "I can hold my own in a fight, however, do not forget," Loki finished. "This is not going to be like when you fought against me at all. My power came from the cube. Electricity," he said, looking at me briefly. Everyone got the message. " While Veronica was able to stop me, her powers do not extend to magic. Those weapons," he said, sweeping long, pale fingers in the direction of the photo I held in my hand. "Are magical."

I was beginning to put two and two together. "And you would be able to turn these puppies off?" Stark said in disbelief.

"Mr. Stark, I am not saying either way. All I am saying is that it is worth a try."

"Why are you so interested in helping us, Brother?" Thor said, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

"I, quite frankly, am tired of the bastard we have come to know as Oberon. While the weapons he has created would barely affect my plans ," Loki said, looking over at me, "I honestly do not think I could stand a realm with him as the ruler."

The team looked at one another, weighing options and deciding wordlessly what had to be done. "Alright, Loki. What have you got in mind?" Steve said, exasperated.

Loki's lips stretched into a smirk as he waved his hand in the air and a chair appeared. He pulled it up to the table and sat down next to me. "How talented are you all with distractions?"

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><p><strong>Please Review! And thanks to all that have been reviewing! Keep em coming because they are my main source of support for this story :) <strong>


	16. Chapter 16

_I was in a very dark room. So dark that when I waved my hand in front of my face I couldn't even see movement. Everywhere I turned, crushing blackness filled my vision, my lungs, my soul…_

_ I felt like I was suffocating and, just as I thought I might die, a match was struck. And I literally mean someone struck a match. It dimly lit the room long enough for me to make out three figures, all hunched over and beaten. _

_ Barton brought the match to a cigarette in his mouth. Wait. Did Barton smoke? _

_ Then the door to the prison slid open and a cloaked figure pulled a disoriented Bruce into the brightly lit outside world. The door to the cell didn't close before I heard Bruce's screams. _

I woke up screaming. My entire body had erupted in a cold sweat and I was shaking all over. I jumped ten feet from the bed when I felt an arm wrap around me and pull me to the body of the owner. Then I realized it was Loki.

"Are you okay, Love?" his voice reached my ears as his other hand cradled my head. "It was just a dream."

I shook my head. "No. this was more than that."

That hadn't been just a dream. Bruce was being tortured. Perhaps as we spoke.

"You are just nervous about the plan," he said soothingly, stroking my hair. I relaxed against him, only slightly, but enough to register that I was okay. I let out a small sob as relief washed through me.

"I've never been this nervous about anything," I said. "Loki, Oberon's torturing the others. Like what he did to you. I think he sent me that dream as a way to remind me that he still controls their fate. I am scared and worried and I don't know what to do and-"

Loki kissed me on my lips, cutting me off mid-sentence. "You are going to pass out if you don't breathe, Veronica."

I took a deep breath as I realized that the tips of my fingers had indeed begun to go numb from the lack of oxygen my hyperventilating had brought upon. I rubbed life back into them. I was glad Loki was here. "Don't let me go," I said as we lay back in bed. He kept his arms around me.

"Never," he replied and he tightened his grip.

* * *

><p>I woke up again around six a.m. I got up and dressed in a matter of minutes. Loki was still sound asleep.<p>

That dream last night had been no figment of my imagination. That situation had been real. All the more reason to follow through with Loki's plan as soon as possible.

The plan was simple, really. After very little debate, the group had come up with the plan to create a rousing distraction to lure Oberon away from the weapons and thus enable Loki to get to them and analyze them if he couldn't destroy them. That way we would know what we were up against.

Right. And somehow manage to get the others out of there in the process… Loki had let the rescuing of the others slip from his plan earlier, something that had not escaped my notice. Not that I could blame him. They meant absolutely nothing to him when it came to his survival.

We had gone to bed shortly after that, needing to get as much rest as possible. As for Loki and myself, we had decided to move my things into his room…

I slipped my boots on and tucked my old boot-knife into them, thankful I had had it stowed in them before I had passed out. Not wanting to wake Loki, I slipped away from our room and walked down to the kitchen.

I found Steve there, wearing his armor, his helmet sitting on the table beside him. He was drinking coffee.

"What? No cereal?" I asked jokingly.

He gave me a small smile. "Nope. Too anxious," he said.

"I can relate," I said quietly. "Steve?" After another moment " I had another dream last night."

He stopped mid-sip and looked at me. "What kind of dream?"

"The… bad kind," was all I said. I knew he would understand. After everyone had found out about my liaison with Loki a year ago I had taken the time to explain my ability to see certain things gods wanted me to see through dreams. "I know where Barton and the others are."

Steve looked at me for a moment, puffing his cheeks with air and then blowing it out, thinking. "Well. Does it change our plans at all?"

"Not… exactly," I said. "They're in one of the detention cells underground. Way underground… we might not make it out if anyone finds us. But Steve, they were being tortured." Bruce's scream rang in my ears. I had never heard the quiet doctor make a louder noise in my life. It disturbed me.

"They knew the risk. We'll save them if we can, but it may have to wait," Steve said quietly, painfully. I knew this was hurting him just as much as it was me.

I nodded, grabbed two cups of coffee and went back to the bedroom. There wasn't anything more to be said about the situation and it did no good to dwell in it.

We were supposed to leave at ten o'clock that night to ensure the cover of darkness when advancing upon New York. I only hoped the darkness would help, not hinder us.

Loki was awake when I got back. I set the cups of coffee down on the dresser and turned back to him. he got up and embraced me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "You gave me quite a scare when you woke up screaming last night," he said.

"I gave myself quite a scare," I replied.

"I cannot promise that they will be freed this time, My Love," he said against my hair.

After a moment, I replied. "Yeah? But we can sure as hell try."

"All I care about is making this world safe for you. I could care less about the others. Just remember that."

I didn't like what I was hearing, but I didn't argue the fact. We had a mission to focus on and if Loki thought he would do better alone while a distraction was caused, I would let him work his magic. (no pun intended).

After a while, he got ready too. It was still quite early in the morning, but we both wanted to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Stark had had Loki's armor redone, much like Thor's had been reinforced.

At twelve o'clock, we made our way back to the meeting room. Tony and Thor were bent over a map, taking in the layout of the city. Tony waved at me when we came through the door, indicating for me to come over.

He pointed to a particular spot on the map. "This," he said, indicating a particular street, " Is our means of attack. Reconnaissance has indicated that it is the least heavily guarded and easiest to get through to. We don't want to make too big of a scene on our way in, that's what the distraction is for later on. Now. Getting to the distraction. There is a building west of Avenger's Tower that is highly unstable. It's been abandoned for years. Some old post office or something. I figure we get into there, set a bomb in the foundation, and bam, hot damn, the whole thing goes over. Then Prince Magic over here can get in and out before Oberon knows what hit him." He looked up at me to see what I thought of the situation.

I nodded my approval and he continued. "Also. Steve informed me of the situation you told him of this morning. If this bomb goes off in the foundation of the building at exactly the right point, it will cause part of the foundation of Avenger's tower to go as well. That will leave an opening for myself and Thor to charge in, get the hostages, and get out. We figured we were best for the job since we're the most durable."

I didn't like the idea of getting left behind, but they were right. "So what can I do?"

"We'll need you and Steve to handle the opening, making sure that no one follows us in. Also, we are going in under the disguise of some of Oberon's agents. He indicated an outfit hanging up on the back of a chair that consisted of a bulletproof vest, long sleeved black shirt, black pants, and combat boots. There was also a helmet that would hide any facial features of the person wearing it. It was perfect.

"Cool. But how are we going to hide Thor?" I said, indicating his tall, muscular form. Even with a disguise on, he would be a dead give-away. "He kinda stands out."

"He'll be in the back of the van we were able to steal. No one will be expecting it."

I could only hope. Stark handed Loki and me our uniforms. I took my turn in the bedroom, slipping out of my normal gear and into the unfamiliar disguise. The bulletproof vest made me feel too bulky…

I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair had grown out too long. So long it stuck out from under the helmet even when it was pulled back. I opened up a drawer in the bathroom and took off a good four inches with some scissors. There. That was better.

I turned back around to see Loki leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. "I liked it better long," he said quietly.

I smiled. "It'll grow back. I'll grow it out for you when this is all over."

I took in his new look. Definitely more lethal looking, at least in a Midgardian sort of way. The absence of the cape might have had something to do with that…

"Just promise me you'll be safe," he said, uncrossing his arms and walking up to me.

"A girl can only try," I replied, taking his face in my hands. And then I took his face in my hands, bringing his lips down to mine. One last kiss before the first battle.

The plan was ready, I just hoped we were too.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews make me want to update faster :) Please keep em coming! <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

As Stark's foot pressed harder on the gas pedal, the van accelerated in speed. I sat in the passenger seat, trying not to freak out about the increase in velocity. If we were to come to a sudden stop… I doubted any of us would make it out.

As we neared the city, the speedometer dial slowly moved from the eighties down to the forties. I relaxed a little, making sure that my M16 was loaded, something I had done countless times since we had started driving.

My helmet sat in my lap. I looked over my shoulder at the rest of the team. Thor sat hunched over in his seat next to an equally uncomfortable looking Steve. Loki sat in the very back, stretched out lazily along the seat.

I turned back around as Stark passed through the city limits. No one stopped us as we made our way to the site designated for detonation. In fact, there wasn't a soul on the streets. Maybe evacuations hadn't been a bad idea.

Stark parked in the alley next to the old building. "You ready, Sunshine?" he said to me. I looked over at him, cutting my eyes in his direction and plopping my helmet on my head.

"Let's do this."

"Alright," Steve said. "Everyone stick to the plan. If we get separated for any reason other than those specified, meet back up at the Chicago bunker. No one should wait around here."

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Loki who just stared at Captain America blankly, clearly not caring.

We got out and I slung my gun over my shoulder. I hated these things. They were too big and obvious. I missed my pistols, but I had lost them during the attack. All I had of my old self was my boot knife and my powers. They would have to do.

Gravel crunched under my boots as I walked out of the alleyway. The others followed and I took on a more stealthy approach when I was out in the open. Steve kicked in the door and we all filed in, me leading the way along with Tony, securing the building. Nothing.

In these disguises, I wasn't sure who was who. Thor and Steve looked almost exactly alike when Thor's blonde hair wasn't showing. Loki' slender form, however, was much more recognizable. When we got down in the basement, Stark automatically went to setting the bomb.

I turned to Loki. "You may want to get going," was all I said.

He nodded, then turned on his heel and walked out of the building. I turned back to the bomb.

~Loki~

Loki teleported from the top of the stairs he had just walked up to the lobby of Avenger's tower. He landed in shadow in case anyone was around to see him magically appear. He surveyed his surroundings, cursing the impairment the helmet he wore had on his vision. There did not appear to be anyone in sight.

He shifted the mortal weapon he held from one hand to the other. _How insignificant_.

He really could not believe he had allowed himself to be roped into something like this. There was a time when he would have been all for the overpowering of the human race. But not today. He had a job to protect Veronica, and that was what he was going to do.

The thought of the pride his father would hold for him to see him as a ruler surfaced, something he had not thought about in a long time. With Oberon's weapons, he could… no. he would not think on it. He was going to help Veronica and then they would be together. He had learned his lesson the first time.

At this point, he was afraid to use any magic for fear of Oberon sensing it. So he walked normally to the elevator that would lead him to the lab that Oberon had set up. If Stark's sources had been correct, the weapons should have been on in the labs on level… ten.

"Loki?" Veronica's voice came from nowhere at all. He stopped walking and turned around, looking for her. Had she decided to follow him?

"Veronica?" he whispered, after he let a pair of guards pass him. "Where are you?"

The voice came again, followed by a laugh. "I'm still with Stark and the others. I'm talking to you through the earpiece I gave you. Do you remember that bug-looking thing I put in your ear before we left? Yeah. That's what I'm talking to you through."

Loki rolled his eyes at the absurdity of something so trivial. "Well. I am in the tower now. I cannot talk as there are security cameras everywhere, Love. I will let you know when I reach the weapons room."

"Ok. Just- just be careful. We are about to set the bomb off now, so expect a lot of movement. In fact, it would probably be best if you could hide somewhere until you hear the explosion."

"Yes." He tried not to hiss the last statement, but he had done his fair share of sneaking around. He knew what he was doing.

Sure enough, seconds later a blast that shook the tiled floor beneath his feet went off and the room filled with guards. Through the cloud of dust, Loki was able to make out a few hell-hounds in the mix as well. But no Oberon or Hel.

He would have to take the chance. He ran for the elevator, highly doubting anyone would notice his spastic movements in the chaos around him. He didn't let out a breath of relief until the elevator doors were closed securely behind him.

The doors opened with a ping and Loki stepped through them and into a room filled with glowing, red orbs. The power emanating from the weapons was enough to knock him over. It very nearly ranked with what he had experienced with Veronica. Only she had been far better company. He ached for her and resolved to get the job done as quickly as possible.

"I'm in," he said through the communication device in his ear.

He didn't take the time to notice that there was no answer on the other end.

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><p><strong>AN. Sorry about the cliff hanger, guys : I just felt like this was a good point to end the chapter. I will try to have the next chapter up tonight or tomorrow morning. I promise. **

**Please review! **


	18. Chapter 18

~Veronica~

I coughed up the dust that the explosion had caused. I had landed on my face on the concrete floor, not something I would call painless. Blood trickled down from a scrape under my right eye. I was on my feet before I knew it, grabbing my helmet that had fallen off and planting it back onto my head.

Everyone else seemed to be okay. I could make out Stark's smaller figure standing next to either Thor or Steve. I still couldn't tell. Another large figure stood up next to me.

"You alright?" Steve's voice came from under the helmet.

"Yup."

I was vaguely able to make out Loki mentioning that he had gotten into the lab through my ear piece before a missile shot into the concrete wall behind me. It blinked red for a few seconds, then proceeded to blow up the wall. I looked back at the entrance to see several men in the same uniforms we were wearing coming down the stairs, holding us at gunpoint.

"Tony," I said deliberately. "That suit might be in order now."

At that, Tony's suit erupted from the glove on his right hand and Iron Man appeared. Before the guards knew what hit them, he had sent bullets straight into their heads. They crumpled to the ground, one sliding down the stairs and landing in a rather grotesque position.

Then all hell broke loose. Countless figures came down the stairs, coming straight for us. "Go!" I yelled to Thor and Iron Man. I pointed at the gaping hole that our bomb had created. "Get in there. NOW!"

The rest of what I was about to say was cut off by a hell-hound coming at me. I unloaded a clip of my M16 into the thing's chest and face, but it did no good. The thing kept coming and probably would have mauled me if Steve hadn't knocked it away.

I registered that Thor and Tony had slipped into the opening so Steve and I placed ourselves in front of it, trying to keep anyone- or anything- from getting into the entrance.

We fought back to back, spinning, kicking, shooting. A rather unfortunate hell-hound lunged at my throat and I launched the blade from the toe of my boot directly into its esophagus. Steve was holding his own with his shield.

We probably fought those things off for a good fifteen minutes before things quieted down. We stood at the entrance of the make-shift opening, catching our breath and taking in the dead hell-hounds and men around us.

If the circumstances hadn't been so serious, I probably would have given Steve a high-five or something for our handy work. "Y'all okay, Sunshine?" Iron Man's voice came through my communicator.

"Yup. We're good. Take your time… and I don't really mean that. Get out as fast as you can."

I heard him laugh at the other end. "M'kay. We are almost to the holding cells. All I'll have to do is hotwire the locks and we'll be home free."

I must say we were feeling pretty good until Heliviti's coal-like eyes appeared at the top of the stairs.

~Loki~

Loki launched himself into the room, stopping at the nearest orb. Something about these things told him they weren't bombs… they felt… alive.

He placed a gloved hand on the one in front of him. Was that a heart-beat he felt beneath the gel-like outer shell?

In a burst of realization, he stepped back and slashed the thing with a force-field-like disc. Clear slime slipped from the outer shell, pooling on the floor. It reached the toes of his boots and he stepped back.

These weren't bombs. They were eggs.

But what for? Loki was positive that sorcerers did not lay eggs…

Who knew? Oberon was a very strange man…

"Impressive, are they not?" Oberon's voice rang from Loki's left. Loki inhaled sharply and turned to see Oberon standing just ten feet away from him, his face in shadow save for the red glow that the eggs gave off.

"I have seen better," Loki replied, preparing for a fight.

Oberon snorted. "I am sure you have, coming from Asgard… I have only been there once, you know, just long enough to be exiled by your father. Oh. Wait," Oberon said, placing a gloved hand over his mouth in fake embarrassment. " He isn't your father. Not your real one, at least."

Loki tried very hard to ignore Oberon's last statement, but the sorcerer sent images of Odin's disappointed face through Loki's mind, the last state he had seen his father in before he had fallen. Loki closed his eyes, trying to block the sadistic form of mental torture that Oberon had come up with.

Oberon stepped closer. "I must say I was very… saddened by your little betrayal. All because of that girl too… pity. I never thought I would see the day when Loki Odinson became the pet of a mortal."

Loki just stared at Oberon. "I do not need to explain anything to you."

Oberon laughed, an evil cackle. "I don't want an explanation, Loki. All I want is the world… and your lover's head on a platter, of course."

Loki's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. "That will not happen. Not as long as I am alive to stop it."

Oberon shrugged. "Suit yourself, old friend. But, no matter what, I will win."

"You can try," Loki said. He wasn't ready to fight Oberon, not just yet. "What are these?" Loki asked, straying from the topic at hand.

Oberon's pride got the best of him. "They are my sister's. They are the beginnings of my new army."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Did you not learn your lesson from my downfall? You will fail. Killing Veronica, or me for that matter, will not stop you from failing. It is a lost cause, old friend," Loki sneered the last two words, mocking Oberon's name for him.

"Well," Oberon said, stepping closer. "Then I will have to settle for killing you at the moment. My dear sister has your lover under control, I think."

Loki inwardly cursed himself and his stupidity. Of course Hel would have gone to the site of the bomb. No doubt she was thirsting for revenge against Veronica more than Oberon.

Before Loki could teleport, however, Oberon had caught him in a death grip around his throat, cutting off his air supply.

~Veronica~

"Steve?" I said quietly.

"I see it," he replied.

Hel's eyes blinked once, and her full form appeared before us.

She grinned an evil grin. "Hello, dearie," she said to me.

"Hel," I replied. "Long time, no see."

She smiled again as she sauntered towards Steve and me. "You are rather cute," she said to Steve, tilting her head to the side and letting her red curls cascade over her shoulder. That stupid smile never left her face.

"Wish I could say the same for you," Steve mumbled.

The smile left her face at that, and before either of us could react she had smacked him across the face, sending him flying across the room. He landed in a heap when his body hit the concrete wall and he slipped to the floor.

I turned back to Hel. I had killed her once. I could do it again… hopefully.

Her hand went to the fiery whip at her side as I searched the room for any form of electricity. I found it in the form of an electrical socket at the top of the stairs. Perfect.

In a matter of seconds she had slung the whip from its place at her hip at me. I dodged it and pulled the energy from the electrical socket, forming a net of energy behind her. As her hand went up, the net came down and she found herself in a heap on the floor.

Each time she tried to move, to my great pleasure, I zapped her with the electricity. She struggled, winding herself more and more into the electrical net I had formed. I needed to keep her like this for as long as possible, but I worried about Steve. He was propped upright, so odds were his air passage was open. I didn't want to break my concentration by running over to check on him. That would give Hel a chance to knock the energy off of her and come at us again.

"Sunshine? You there?" Tony's voice came through the earpiece.

Hel tried to move again, but I zapped her. "Yup, where are you?"

"We're on our way up now. Is the coast clear? Bruce and Fury are in pretty bad shape and we can't get them out if there's a fight going on."

I looked down at Hel, considering. "Yeah. Bring 'em on up. Steve isn't looking to good either so we should leave as soon as possible."

"What? Just a minute ago y'all were fine!"

"We had a bit of an… unexpected guest," I said quietly, smirking at Hel. She glared back up at me, trying to remain conscious after so many electrical shocks. Her eyes slipped in and out of focus.

By the time Tony had gotten the others up and through the hole, Hel was unconscious. Thor was carrying Banner and Fury over each shoulder like bags of feed. Barton was limping, but otherwise okay.

Tony looked from me to Hel's limp form. "Did I ever tell you that you are wicked scary sometimes?" he said to me.

I gave him a sarcastic smile. "I try. Now let's get out of here. I am sure these guys don't want to hang around here longer than they have to."

Iron Man nodded and grabbed Steve's limp form. I grabbed my M16, training it on Hel as we walked back up the stairs and situated the wounded in the back of the van.

"Sure is good to see you all," Bruce mumbled.

"You too, buddy," Tony replied as I tucked a blanket around him.

"Where's Loki?" I asked as Tony slipped into the driver's seat.

He looked over at me. "We can't worry about him right now. I'm sure he's fine, Veronica. But don't ask me to leave you here to look for him. I'll bring you kicking and screaming if I have to."

I knew he was right. Loki would find a way back to the bunker. We needed to focus on getting these guys to medical care. I looked back at Avenger's Tower, willing him to show himself, before I slipped into the passenger seat and we were off once again.

I didn't know it at the time, but somewhere Loki was fighting for his life.


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, really long chapter here, folks. Just bear with it! **

~Loki~

Loki brought his arms up, knocking Oberon's hand from his throat. He backed away quickly, but not before getting a good punch into Oberon's jaw. He slung a few discs of magic at Oberon which the sorcerer deflected easily.

He kept backing away from Oberon, wracking his brains for any defense mechanism that would let him gain the upper hand. He scowled inwardly when he came up empty. Oberon came at him again, a long sword vaporizing out of nowhere raised above his head.

"Oh Loki," he said quietly. "I truly am sad to see you go."

The sword came down and Loki dodged it, but it still caught the tip of his shoulder. He let out a cry. The wound began to bleed, the dark cloth of his shirt becoming wet and darker from the blood at the wound site. He held his arm against his body. Why couldn't he gain more power?

He tucked and rolled out of the reach of the sorcerer's way once more. He looked over at the egg-things, an idea sparking. If he couldn't kill Oberon, he may as well set him back. With his army gone, Oberon would be at a complete loss against the Avengers. Veronica could take him down easily without such a large army. As much as he hated to admit it, Thor probably could too. He could only hope that he would get out of there before Oberon killed him.

With as much energy as he could muster, he slung a huge disc of magic into the very center of the rows of eggs.

Clear liquid gushed from the openings as Loki's disc sank deeper into the casings. The eerie red glow diminished as the eggs lost the life force.

He felt his powers leaving him as the blood gushed from the wound in his shoulder.

"Loki?" Veronica's voice was clear as day in his head. "Loki? Are you there?"

He dodged Oberon's blade one more time. "I am here," he said.

Oberon looked at him strangely, obviously not picking up on the fact that he had a communication device in his ear. "Thank god," her voice rang from the other end. "Loki. Get out of there. We have everyone safely outside the city limits. Do you have enough power to teleport out?"

As Veronica spoke to him, he continued to dodge Oberon's blade. He had brandished his own long knife to deflect the blows, parrying and dodging, parrying and dodging. "I… think… so," he said breathlessly. This was becoming tiresome and he was beginning to lose feeling in his injured arm.

"Then forget about the orbs. We had to leave with the others. We are on our way back to home base. Is that a knife I hear in the background? Are you fighting?"

Loki could have rolled his eyes. "In fact, I am," he said as he ducked down and got in a jab to Oberon's left thigh. As he passed under Oberon's legs, Oberon hit him in the head, knocking the communicator from his ear in the process. It skidded across the room, landing in a pool of gel.

The knife had sank deep into the muscle of Oberon's leg. Well, that worked, but now he had no weapon.

He rolled from Oberon's reach as the sorcerer bent down to pull the long knife from his leg. He glared at Loki, brandishing the bloody knife. "That was a mistake, old friend," he said. "I was going to be merciful, but now I have no choice but to teach you a lesson first."

Loki spun around, preparing to run, but the injury in his shoulder was a great hindrance. Then he remembered the power he had felt coming from the eggs. There was a small clump left that had survived his magic disc.

He bolted for them, grabbing hold of a red, glowing orb, and looked back at Oberon. Before Oberon could reach him, he channeled enough of the energy of the egg through his body and teleported. The last thing he saw of the lab was Oberon slinging his discarded knife at the spot that he should have been.

He kept hold of the egg, clinging to it as if it were the only thing keeping him together. For all he knew, it was. The injury Oberon had inflicted was taking its toll on him physically and mentally. Hopefully the medicine man back at the bunker would be able to fix him. He did not think his powers would handle an injury this deep in the state he was in.

He landed hard on the ground in front of the bunker, breathing shallowly. He clutched the egg harder and trudged up to the secret entrance in the western side of the hill.

~Veronica~

"Loki?" I said through the communication device in my ear. "You okay?" I had heard a thud from the other end of the line that had made my heart skip a beat. Then a shrill noise filled my hearing. I yanked the communicator from my ear, sticking my finger in my ear and wiggling it around to make it stop hurting from the shrill noise.

Loki was gone. There was no way of reaching him. I didn't know what to do. What if he was dead? I couldn't bear the thought of losing him again. Not like this. Anger swelled in my chest at Oberon. If he had killed Loki… let's just say losing to us would be the least of his worries.

Once we had made it back to the bunker, doctors had rushed out to get Fury, Banner, and Steve stabilized. Barton had gone, kicking and screaming about how he was fine and he didn't need medical treatment. The sedative they shot into his arm was the only thing that had shut him up.

As for me, I was just glad they were all safe. Loki kept popping up in my thoughts. I worried incessantly about him. Was he alive? He had been fighting. Then the line had gone dead. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing he was here.

"Hey, uh, Veronica?" Tony's voice penetrated through my thoughts and I looked up from the table I was sitting at. "You might wanna see this."

He was looking at a computer that indicated the security levels of the bunker. Something powerful was attempting to get into the western entrance of the bunker. I looked back at Stark, knowing exactly who it was. _Loki._

"Let me go down there. Please."

He nodded. "Don't need my permission, Sunshine." He winked at me, a smile flickering around his lips.

I smiled back and all but ran to the entrance. "Open the gate," I said to the guard. He looked at me for a moment in disbelief before proceeding to carry out the order.

The large door opened to reveal Loki, staggering up to the entrance. He held one of the weapons that I had seen in the photograph. His left shoulder was also positioned at an incredibly awkward angle, his left hand hanging extending lower than normal.

I ran up to him. "Oh my god, Loki! Are you okay?" I asked, wiping dirt from his face with my hand.

He smiled down at me in an attempt to hide the grimace that moving caused him. "Barely," he replied. He handed me the glowing red thing before nearly falling over. I grabbed hold of him, grunting under his weight. Then, with one hand under his good arm, the other holding onto the strange weapon in my hand, we proceeded to make our way to the lift that would take us to the lower levels.

"Holy Mother of God," Tony said when he saw us coming through the elevator doors. He dropped what he was doing and ran up to take the weapon from my hands. "What is this?" he asked, completely ignoring my attempts to get Loki down to the doctor.

"It is… an egg…" Loki rasped out. "Allow me medical assistance and I will… tell you everything I know, … Mr. Stark."

Tony nodded as he walked off to his lab, no doubt to begin analyzing the new weapon… or egg…

I rolled my eyes at his complete disregard of Loki's condition. Oh well… that's a billionaire playboy philanthropist for you.

We made it to the doctor's station. The head doctor was sitting at a table, recovering from one of the demanding surgeries that Bruce had required on a wound in his abdomen.

She looked up at us and sprang into action, diagnosing Loki's shoulder as an acute shoulder dislocation caused by Oberon's sword. She sat him down on a table and positioned herself behind him, one hand resting on the back of his shoulder and the other holding his arm out to his side.

"This is going to hurt," she said to him softly.

"Just do it," he hissed. I figured it probably wouldn't hurt any more than it already did. I held his other hand as the doctor's hand at his back pushed forward and the hand at his arm pushed up, repositioning the shoulder back into the socket with a pop.

I cringed when he let out a gasp of pain. "All done," the doctor said as she pressed a button for a nurse to come wrap the injury. "With your magical capabilities, you should be good as new in no time."

She said the cut in his shoulder was nothing serious, that his body had already begun to heal it over. Loki gave her a forced smile and she set off to treat the other patients. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, holding his hand. A nurse walked in to wrap his shoulder and left. He looked down at the floor, recovering from the shock that having his arm fixed had caused, his thin lips drawn into a thin line.

"What did you see down there?" I asked quietly. "What happened?"

"Oberon… found out somehow that I would be there. We fought…" he said, shaking his head slightly, still focusing on the ground. "I lost. I did not have the powers to combat him, Veronica. I do not know what has become of me."

"Hey," I said, forcing him to meet my eyes. "You had a bad day. That's all," I kept going when he tried to interrupt me. "You are safe. That's what matters. And you were able to bring back something that will help us out greatly. Loki. You didn't lose. If you ask me, he lost. We know his secret now."

I realized the truth of my words. We knew what Oberon was planning. The information Loki had brought back was the key to figuring out the best course of action to beat Oberon. Now it was just a matter of reassembling the team and heading back out with a killer plan.

"I am sure the rest of the team will be eager to hear your report," I said. "Are you ready to move or do you need a little while?"

"Just… let me sit here for a few minutes…I need to be alone."

I nodded, patting him on his knee and got up to leave the room. "Just remember," I said, turning back to him as I reached the doorway. "I'm here for you."

He gave me a small smile and I turned to leave the room.

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><p>Several days later, we were sitting in the lab crowded around the table that Stark had the egg on. The team looked much better. Bruce had made a full recovery from the wound they had found in his stomach and Steve and Fury had only needed rest.<p>

I looked up at Stark as he began his presentation. "Okay, guys," he said as he fiddled with a hologram projection of his presentation. "I think…" he kept fiddling, "I have the answer to the riddle of the egg."

Loki's fingers travelled to my knee, which was bouncing up and down at ninety miles an hour, and stopped it. I looked at him sheepishly. I was nervous about what we might find, no doubt about it.

"This is a biological weapon that has not been seen in five hundred years. It is- for lack of a better description- a hybrid demon fairy thing."

Everyone just looked at him before Hawkeye busted out in laughter. "A fairy, Stark? What have you been smoking?"

Stark shrugged. "Nothing… lately. Anyway," he said, shaking his head. "This is a biological weapon that, once fully developed inside these… capsules… will hatch and wreak havoc on anything it is programmed to attack. It will be fully grown hours after hatching, and, according to my calculations, will be approximately six-foot tall."

I looked around the room. "And what is its weapon? Is it magical? Or just brute strength?"

Stark looked at me. "I'm getting to that. Just hold your horses." I rolled my eyes. "You know the hell-hound things we've recently come across? Yeah. These are a hybrid cross of them and some other demon. Again, looking back at my calculations from the data I came up with by analyzing the embryonic fluid, they will be completely bad- ass."

Fury spoke up. "Loki, how many did you say you saw?" My thoughts flashed back to Loki's debriefing. Basically, Loki had seen at least two hundred, but he had ended up destroying three quarters of them, finally proving himself trustworthy in the eyes of at least Fury and Tony.

"Two hundred."

Fury nodded. "Well. It's a start. I want this thing deep-frozen and locked in storage before 20:00 hours tonight."

Stark nodded, for once not having anything to say.

"As for everyone else, get some rest. We have a meeting tomorrow morning to figure out our next plan of action. Oberon has overpowered New York and his territory is only expanding. Luckily, SHIELD agents were able to get most civilians out of there before anything too bad happened. Avengers, you are dismissed."

We stood up and left the room, grateful for the break. The last few days had been nerve-racking. Between managing everyone's wounds and dealing with the egg-thing, I had barely had enough time to think about anything other than what was directly in front of me at the time.

I had also been suffering severe bouts of nausea. At first I had figured it was stress, but I had grown to think of it more as a virus of some sort. Besides, Loki had more important injuries for me to help him with.

His shoulder had healed up fine. His god body had healed itself rather quickly, so I was pleased to find a completely healed shoulder when I helped him unwrap it that night. "Congratulations," I said, resting my hand against his face. "You are completely healed."

He smiled at me. "Good. Now I can actually sleep without worrying about rolling onto it in the wrong way."

I looked up at him. "Do you think I am going to let you sleep now that you are a fully functional man again?"

He kissed my forehead. "Not tonight, Love. We need our rest."

I knew he was right. "Fine," I said, pretending to pout. He kissed my lips stop the pouting.

I was asleep in a matter of seconds, but it didn't last long. I woke up with the dire urge to throw up. I ran to the bathroom, bending over the toilet. Loki found me there.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, sitting down on the floor next to me.

"Never better," I grumbled. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've felt like this for days."

He patted my back. "I'll give you some privacy."

I nodded, wiping sweat from my brow.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

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><p><strong>So can anyone guess what's wrong with Veronica? Shhh. Don't tell if you know!<strong>

**Please Review guys! It makes me happy inside :) **


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! So I'm sorry that it took me longer than usual to update, but real life decided to take over. Calculus and work are not my favorite ways to spend my time XD. I swear if I have to find the derivative of another Trig equation I am going to go crazy... no I'm kidding.**

** Anyway, hopefully you all will like this. I wanted to get it up ASAP since I had such a wonderful response to my last chapter. Thank you to ALL who reviewed! And please keep 'em coming! So I'm going to shut up now and let you get to the story.**

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><p>"I'm what?" I said quietly. There wasn't a hint of emotion in my voice as I took in the doctor's office around me. I suddenly felt very, very small.<p>

"You're pregnant, Parker," the doctor told me again, sitting down on the stool next to the table I was sitting on and looking at me. I shifted uncomfortably, cringing at the loudness of the paper that lined the table.

"How… are you sure?" I said. I knew exactly _how_. I just was so… thrown. I sat back in my chair, completely in shock. After several days of feeling so terrible I had finally decided to come down to the infirmary to get some sort of medicine.

Instead what I got was a baby announcement. _Surprise! You're pregnant!_

She nodded, tapping the end of her pen on her notebook. "Congratulations."

Somehow I didn't feel like she was congratulating me. Everything in her eyes told me exactly what she was thinking. _Now you've done it. _

The moment of shock passed and I felt a grin spread across my face. My own little baby… I had been an only child growing up, so babies weren't exactly something I was familiar with, but something about the fact made me happy. I was going to be a mother… and Loki a father.

I got up from my seat, ignoring the dizziness standing up so fast caused me. What was I going to tell the team? Surely they wouldn't be mad… but then I remembered just how much a majority of the team despised Loki.

I barely registered when the doctor started talking again. "Privacy policy says I can't tell your coworkers anything," the doctor said to me. "But I would advise you to do so. The conditions this war is putting you through are no place for a pregnant woman."

I looked at her, nodding. She took that to mean that I would follow her advice, but boy was she wrong. I wasn't about to let the guys go into face Oberon without me. We shook hands and I left the infirmary. I had to find Loki.

How was I going to do my job with a baby on the way? What if Loki was killed? Would my baby grow up never knowing its father? What if I was killed?

But then what if I wasn't? And everything turned out ok? Loki and I would be parents. We could even get married if we wanted to… it occurred to me that babies were supposed to come after marriage, but I had never been one for tradition anyway…

After over analyzing the situation twice, I decided that I was happy, overjoyed even, about the child.

I found Loki in the training area, sparring with Stark. He was slinging magic at Iron Man, training him to dodge powers similar to Oberon's.

"Um, Loki?" I said quietly. He looked at me long enough to lower his guard and Iron Man slung him into the matted wall of the gym. I suppressed a smirk. Served him right after he had made me lose to Stark that day so long ago.

He got up and looked at me, smoothing his hair back into place. "Yes? Are you feeling better?" he asked, walking up to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "You are trembling…" Tony cleared his throat, tapping his robotic foot impatiently. Loki turned back to Iron Man. "A minute, Mr. Stark, if you please."

Iron Man nodded, lowering his suit and walking up to us. "Fine," he said as he passed us. "I needed to go work on something anyway."

I waited to hear his footsteps completely fade before I turned back to Loki. "Loki… I…"

I heard Stark's footsteps returning, and he walked into the room. "Forgot something," he said as he walked up to a mechanical looking thing on the table. It was a hand of some sort, probably a new development on his suit. He waved it at us as he left, a smirk plastered on his face.

I rolled my eyes. He was going to be the death of me.

Before anyone could come back in to interrupt, I blurted out what I was going to tell Loki. My heart raced. "I'm pregnant."

The amused look Loki still had on his face from Stark's interruption disappeared as his face became void of all emotion. His eyes went wide. "What?"

"I'm pregnant," I repeated, laughing at his serious face. "Most men would be happy about something like that."

He continued to stare at me, no emotion playing in his eyes. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he stood there. He jutted his chin out, thinking.

He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. "Agh," he said softly, closing his mouth again when no words would form. "Gods," he said. It was barely a whisper. "Can… can you give me a moment, Love?"

I didn't like the turn things had taken at all, but I let him walk past me and out of the room.

~Loki~

A million thoughts raced through Loki's head as he sped down the hall. He had impregnated Veronica. She was going to have his child.

If the circumstances had been something else entirely, he would have been happy. Instead, the thought of a child, half human, half frost-giant, was killing him.

What if it was disfigured? Blue with red eyes like he was naturally? A freak of nature? He did not think he could handle the thought of giving Veronica something so… monstrous. Though she had accepted him for who he was underneath, he did not think he could live with himself if he brought something like him into the world. A monster…

How could he have let this happen?

He reached his chambers and sat down on his bed, running his fingers through his hair in irritation. He knew there were ways of… ending a woman's pregnancy. Mortal doctors had invented ways. But he didn't condone it. Even to the god of mischief and lies the taking of a helpless life bordered on the cruel side… at least before he had tried to take over the world. He wasn't proud of his actions there either.

Besides, Veronica had been happy about the baby. That he had been sure of. What she needed now was support, something he had failed to give her when she had told him.

The thought of having his own family was tempting. He could see himself standing next to Veronica, a little boy in her arms back in his home of Asgard. There they would be safe, that he knew. If only he hadn't denounced his father when he fell to Midgard…

One thing was certain, he now had even more reason to protect Veronica and stop Oberon.

~Veronica~

Several days passed with careful planning of our next move.

After our attack had been so successful, Oberon had reinforced the streets. There was absolutely no way we were getting in above ground.

One thing Oberon hadn't considered was the subway. Stark's bunker ran adjacent to an underground system of tunnels that connected to the subway. All it would take would be an airlift to one of the entrances near New York and then we could hotwire one of the subway trains that ran along the outskirts of the city. We'd be able to get into the city that way, avoiding detection, and retake Avenger's tower. If everything went according to plan, we would be able to retake New York before the end of the month. For this I was grateful.

In the little free time I had, my thoughts dwelled on the baby. Loki hadn't been happy about the baby. That much I could tell. I was extremely worried. Would this push him over the edge?

The relationship between Loki and I got rather tense. We barely touched anymore and I was afraid that I had completely made a mess of things by telling him so suddenly. I tended to keep to myself when I wasn't needed by the others, sulking in our room. Loki never showed, and he had taken to coming in after I had fallen asleep and rising before I woke up.

Now I sat sipping a bottle of water in the kitchen, a rare exception to my typical routine of bedroom haunting. My feet were propped up in the chair across from me and I stared blankly into space.

The doctor had said I wasn't more than a few weeks along in the pregnancy, so I figured I had at least a month or two before I started actually showing. Two months. Plenty of time to enact a plan to get rid of Oberon.

I heard footsteps and I looked up to see Loki coming through the doors, walking slowly towards me. He pulled out a chair and sat down next to me, reaching over and placing a hand on my belly. This was the first sign he had shown of acknowledging the baby since I had told him.

"How far along are you?" he said abruptly. I looked at him.

"The doctor said a few weeks."

He nodded. "That would be correct," he said after a brief pause. I smiled.

"Are you… happy about it?" I said, searching his eyes.

"Terrified, to be truthful, Love," he said quietly. "Forgive me for being so… what is the word… moody these past couple of days. I needed time to think."

I kissed his cheek. "Me too," I replied. We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to someone in the weapons room shooting a pistol. Bang, bang, bang.

"We'll deal, though," I said, taking another sip of water.

"We always do," he replied. I folded my hands in my lap. "But I do not want you going out with us on missions anymore. The child must be protected."

My head snapped up. "Oh no," I said, pointing a finger at him. "There is no way in hell I am letting the team go out there without me."

He smiled. "If I have anything to do with it, I can assure you, you will not be joining us."

I stood up. "Then you will not have anything to do with it." I said caustically. "As long as I am able, I will be out there."

He had stood up by this time as well. "Veronica…"

"Look. I have been with these guys through a lot. I am not about to let them go out there without me."

He started to say something then stopped, as if listening to something. I pricked up my ears, but came up empty. Then, with a smirk, he continued. "So does anyone else know about the baby?" he said loud and clear.

I glared at him.

"What baby?" Tony's voice came from the doorway. I grimaced and turned to see Tony, Bruce, and Steve all file into the room. I face-palmed when I remembered the meeting we were supposed to be having. He had heard them coming.

Loki wrapped an arm around my waste and pulled me to him. "Sorry, Love," he whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes.

Stark sat down lazily across from me, lounging in the chair lazily. "A baby? Oh, you little lovebirds finally did it. Loki, how does it feel to finally lose your virginity?"

Loki stared daggers at him, and I think Stark got the message. His eyebrows went up in high arcs. "So there _is_ a baby… damn, Loki. Don't you know about condoms?"

Loki looked at me before Bruce broke in. "They are only 98% effective, Stark."

At that, Stark jumped from his seat, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, opening it up, and pulling a package out of it. "What!" he said, scanning the back of it frantically.

I had to laugh. I had never seen anything other than fire or alcohol make him move that fast when he wasn't suited up. But then my attention was brought back around to the issue at hand.

Steve had a disgusted look on his face. Bruce didn't seem to think anything of it and Tony was still preoccupied trying to figure out the odds of him fathering an unknown child.

I cleared my throat. "Yes. There is a baby." I pulled from Loki's grasp and moved to the center of the room to face them all. "But I assure you, it will not-"

"Veronica," Steve said quietly, dangerously. "If you think you are still coming with us, you are dead wrong." I just looked at Steve. Something in his eyes told me that it would be extremely hard to convince him otherwise, so I shut my mouth for the moment and sat down.

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><p><strong>Please Review, Guys! Hopefully this went well… I was a little worried about posting it because I was having a tough time getting my thoughts in order. I know it was slow… but bear with me! It will pick up! and for the action-lovers out there…. Just be prepared for the next couple of chapters. That's all I'm going to say about that ;) <strong>


	21. Chapter 21

By the time everyone had gotten to the meeting, I was seriously pissed off. How dare Steve tell me that I couldn't come with the team. Was I not a valuable asset even in the condition I was in?

I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, watching Fury talk but not really taking anything in. I already knew the plan. I had helped design it with Stark. Not that that mattered anymore. Everyone but Stark had been all for me staying here while they went out.

Fury looked up to see a rather disgruntled-looking Coulson coming through the door. It occurred to me that I hadn't seen Coulson since the evac from Avenger's Tower.

"Sorry it took me so long to get back, Sir," he mumbled in that same, monotonous murmur he used all the time. "We had a run-in with some sort of…"

"Demon Fairy Hybrid Thing?" Stark suggested absently.

Coulson looked at him strangely, blinking once. "Well. Yes. I guess you could call it a demon fairy hybrid… thing." I noticed the shoulders and sleeves of Coulson's normally pristine suit were singed in certain places. "More like tiny fire-spitting mosquitoes," I heard him mumble as he took a seat in the back of the room. I laughed to think of a bunch of SHIELD agents being bombarded by tiny fire-spitting faeries.

Fury continued to talk about the plan. Basically, the guys were going to infiltrate the subway system west of New York. That had been my idea… And so had the idea to bring Loki along… now he was going and I was staying here. Just last year the team had been fighting against him.

Fury finished the meeting, wishing the team luck and dismissing us. They were supposed to leave the following day early in the morning with a squad of specialized SHIELD agents. All would be in disguise until Avenger's tower was infiltrated, then they would alert Oberon to their presence by blasting a whole right in his defense without him seeing it coming.

And I would be here, waiting desperately to see who would return… and who wouldn't be so lucky.

* * *

><p>Late that night, I paced back and forth in the meeting room, trying to work out my nerves. I started walking around the mahogany table that ran down the center of the room, trailing the tips of my fingers along the backs of the chairs. The dim lighting made it easier to attempt to shut out the unhappy images my imagination kept conjuring up.<p>

I nearly jumped sky high when I heard paper rustling behind me. Tony had come in to get something from the table. He looked up at me, hiding his right hand behind his back. "Hey, Sunshine," he said with a grin on his face.

"What are you up to?" I said, forcing a small smile.

Without a word, he slung what was hidden behind his back onto the table between us. I looked down at it, recognizing it as one of the uniforms of the specialized SHIELD agents that were accompanying them tomorrow.

I stared at it, bringing my gaze back up to Tony's. "I'm gonna need you to press that for me," he said. I didn't miss the wink he shot me before I reached down to pick it up.

I gave him a genuine grin, deciding to play along. "One of these days I'm going to teach you how to press your own damn clothes. Honestly, I don't know how Pepper deals with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sunshine." Then, lowering his voice. "Just go get 'em"

~Loki~

_Loki was standing in his old chambers in Asgard. He stood in front of the large window he had grown so fond of, looking out at the rainbow bridge that led to the other realms._

_ "Father!" he heard a young child cry out to him, and he automatically turned around to see a little girl running to him, arms outstretched. She looked exactly like a younger Veronica, save for the jet black hair tied up in a long braid stretching down her back._

_ He reached for the strange girl, picking her up and tossing her into the air. She let out a joyous shriek. He brought her back down to his eye level, smiling. He only noticed her crystal blue eyes briefly before they began to turn bright red and her skin tinged halfway between blue and normal skin tones. _

Loki sat up swiftly in bed, wiping sweat from his brow. He looked over to where Veronica lay, peacefully sleeping. He rubbed his face in his hands, trying to clear the image from his head.

The clock on the bedside table read three a.m.

He lay back in bed, reaching for Veronica. She turned over to him, no doubt his icy hand had woken her up.

"Wha… What's wrong, Loki?" she mumbled. She was still half asleep.

"Nothing," he said. "I just needed to make sure you were still here."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Where else would I be?" She gave him a small smile and opened her mouth to say something which he silenced with a kiss.

Five a.m. arrived much sooner than Loki had expected it to. He got up, dressed in the designated attire, and left, kissing Veronica on the forehead. He didn't wake her because he did not want her worrying. The longer she was asleep, the better.

He boarded the transportation that would take him and the others to the designated 'subway' station, praying to Valhalla that everything would go according to plan.

~Veronica~

I was awake before Loki even stirred. I lay in bed, my mind racing with what I was about to do.

I was about to directly disobey my superior's orders and go into battle under false identity. Yup. Nothing wrong or career-threatening in that picture.

I waited for Loki to rise, dress and leave. I knew he wouldn't try to wake me. He was probably trying to get out without an argument. I allowed him to fall into a false sense of security as he practically ran out the door.

The minute the door closed, my eyes snapped open and I reached down under the bed for the uniform Stark had given me last night. It was perfect, really. Like the previous disguise, the helmet hid my facial features. The only difference was the fact that my original Avenger uniform would fit under it.

I ripped open my wardrobe, grabbing the leather number I had grown so used to. After coming here, Tony had had new knives made for me and I had been given a new set of pistols. After dressing and strategically placing knives in various nooks and crannies, I slipped the jumpsuit-like disguise over my original uniform. The dark blue canvas was bulky enough to hide the fact that I was a girl too.

_Oh, SHIELD, you make this too easy._

With one last look in the mirror, I hastily added the signature trademark of black eyeliner that I wore. Now I was BlackLite. This was going to be fun.

I pulled the helmet on, inspecting myself in the mirror. Nothing betrayed my identity.

I left the bedroom, looking to my left, then right before proceeding down the hall. I grabbed a standard issue M16 from the weaponry and all but ran to the meeting room, slipping into the ranks of SHEILD agents being briefed. I was able to make out the top of Loki's head at the front of the room and Steve and Thor were obviously able to be seen too.

Fury was telling the same plan to the troops as he had told the Avengers last night. My heart raced with the anticipation of an upcoming battle.

As we filed onto the transport, I gathered my wits and prepared for what was coming next.

The doors slid shut, finalizing everything. I was in it til the end now.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok. Short, I know. But just wait... :)<strong>

**Please Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

The dark interior of the vehicle we were using to get to New York messed with my mind. I kept imagining things I wouldn't normally without being so close to the team. I realized how much having them with me had helped me out in past battles.

Now I was alone. No one knew I was there except for Tony. One person out of a hundred. I took in a deep breath, looking from side to side. SHIELD agents were on either side of me, checking weapons, loading clips to guns, and making sure bullet proof vests and helmets were securely in place.

I swallowed hard in an attempt to force the bile in my throat back down. I was getting far too nervous. Maybe hormones had something to do with it, but I felt jumpy.

The vehicle was a rather large bus-looking thing, only it allowed people to stand rather than sit. It was high-tech, thanks to Tony. Stainless steel walls and sniper slots lined the outside. We were like a moving bunker.

The tank-thing lurched to a stop several hours later and my ears were filled with pressure. Pressure? That didn't make sense.

Then I realized that the thing was burrowing deep into the ground, making a sort of underground fortress. Wow. Tony had definitely outdone himself this time.

We were called to attention and everyone snapped upright. Apparently we were supposed to wait here while the Avengers penetrated the inner city barricade that Oberon had put up.

I wasn't sure what to do from this point. I knew that they would notice if I got on the train car with them, and the battle hadn't even started. They could easily send me back if they found me.

So I wouldn't let them find me. I slung my M16 over my shoulder, turned on my heel, and followed the crowd of soldiers out and into the makeshift camp that was already being set up. Tents, high-dollar laptop and tracking systems, radar, you name it. SHIELD did not like to underdo things.

New York loomed in the distance, maybe two miles from where we were. I kept my eye on the tallest skyscrapers as I plowed ahead, squinting against the rising sun. I kept walking towards the city and didn't blink an eye when I left the camp boundaries.

~Loki~

"Okay, people," Stark's voice came from the tunnel he had disappeared into just moments ago. "Step right up for your all inclusive, one way ticket to kicking ass."

Loki rolled his eyes at the mortal's language as he dropped down feet-first into the tunnel. This was about to get interesting…

The rest of the Avengers followed, all but Dr. Banner who had stayed behind to keep an eye on the computer systems.

As Loki's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was able to see Stark's silhouette disappearing into a subway train. He followed, cringing at Thor's loud footsteps echoing behind him. you would think the god of thunder would know by now how to keep his feet quiet, especially in these circumstances.

The train's interior was just as unpleasant as the exterior. Something smelled of rotten meat to Loki, like death. He grimaced at the sight of a half-decayed rat carcass, realizing that that was the source of the smell. _How vile. He was reminded again of how much he detested Midgard._

He shifted the infernal contraption that Barton had called an M16 from his right hand to his left hand as he moved further into the compartment.

He could hear Stark foraging around at the front of the train, mixed with a few curses when he obviously couldn't get the train to get going. Loki smirked as he walked up behind Stark.

"Allow me," he said smoothly.

Stark looked at him for a second before standing up and stepping aside. Loki squatted down, placing his long fingers on the wires under the compartment that led to the engine. He focused his magic into the system, willing it to start up.

A smug smile tugged at his lips when the train roared to life and he turned back to Stark. "Well we can't all be magicians, can we?" Tony said, hiding his hurt pride.

The train lurched forward and Loki inhaled, thinking of Veronica. It was nearly eight a.m. now. Surely she would be awake soon back in Chicago. But he couldn't shake the thought that she was close.

~Veronica~

I sat down briefly when I reached the edge of the wooded area, allowing myself to catch my breath. The outer gates Oberon had set up around New York were powered with electricity and guards with sniper rifles stood on platforms high above the walls. The Berlin Wall came to mind as I took in the layers of brick and wire that kept me from the interior of the city.

_Shit. _

Well, at least I had electricity on my side. The electrical fence was Oberon's first mistake. After I caught my breath, I stood up and got an idea of what it would take to get in. I counted ten guards in between the areas of the perimeter that I wanted to get through. Ten people that I needed to get past without getting shot or discovered. Brilliant.

With the flick of my hand, I was able to pull the power from the gates and knock the guards down with relative ease. They noiselessly slipped to the floor of the platforms they were standing on. I readied my own gun and slinked up to the gate.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I started to see stars in my vision. The shadow of the wall shielded me from any guard's line of vision. I guess they figured no one would get up close enough to the wall to actually require the ability to see down where I was. Mistake number two, Oberon.

But how was I going to get through the wall? If only I had been allowed to come with the team! Then I could be on the subway train by now, bypassing the wall. _Stop it, Veronica. Don't let wishful thinking distract you._

I placed my hand on the cement, probing for any wisp of electrical energy I could find. I remembered the electrical lights that were on top of the wall for the guards to see by. Surely that power was coming from somewhere.

A few seconds later I found my answer. I could sense the pull of electricity coming from a single cable in the very center of the concrete. Perfect. Mistake number three.

I clenched my hand, as if I was going to grab the wire, and pulled it away from the wall. The live wire ripped from the concrete, splitting in half as it tore from the wall. I looked up and around to ensure no one had saw me, and let out a deep breath to see no one was anywhere in sight. A small hole, just large enough for me to crawl through had formed in the three feet of concrete before me.

Putting my helmet back on, I crawled through the space, stopping just short of emerging to make sure the coast was clear. A rumbling beneath me startled me to the point that my finger shot to the trigger of the M16 and the gun almost went off.

~Loki~

"We are just now passing under the outer wall," Barton said as he looked at a hologram GPS projection of the city in his hand. "But it's looking like Oberon already has some security issues. There's already a man-made hole in the wall, just large enough for someone to crawl through."

Loki looked around. Mr. Stark's reaction seemed a bit smug to his liking, but he squashed the feeling when Barton continued. "It may be just a fluke in these readings, though, so I doubt we should think anything of it. We'll be nearing our exit station within a half hour so-"

An explosive fireball silenced Barton as it flew through the window and ignited the control panel of the subway car.

Then they came in numbers. Loki put up a force field around the train in an attempt to block them out, but they burned right through it like tissue paper. A closer look told Loki that these were no ordinary fireballs. They were creatures. Bug-like things that were no larger than his hand.

The fires they were able to produce, however, were something else entirely. One stopped to look at him and grin evilly before it shot a fire-ball into his chest. Luckily the bulletproof vest he had on stopped it from burning him.

He looked around, struggling to see through the smoke that was forming in heavy clouds. This was not going according to plan. Not one bit.

Iron Man had suited up and was swatting at the faeries, while Steve was using his shield to block the fireballs from hitting him in the face. Smoke was everywhere, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Loki coughed in an attempt to clear his throat to yell to Stark to shut the train down, but it was no use.

With as much power as he could muster, he grabbed control of the wires he had enchanted and pulled the magic out of them. The train came to a stop with a stomach-turning lurch. Somewhere in the back, Barton fell over from the sudden stop. Well, at least that was amusing.

At this, Steve kicked the doors open and the others followed him out. Thor stopped to pick up Barton who was lying on the floor unconscious. All this time, the five were dodging fireballs.

As if on cue, the minute the team had gotten out of the train car the faeries disappeared.

"What the hell?" Stark said loudly and waving a robotic fist at the train car. "They disappeared. What was the point of doing that to us?"

"Oberon," Steve said. "He knows we are here. He must have found out about the attack." He waved a hand at the train car, which was now burning with no hope of restarting it. "Look. There's no way we're getting that thing going again. It was an attempt to slow us down"

"Looks like we're walking then," Barton rasped out from his place over Thor's shoulder. "Hey, uh, Thor? You can put me down now, buddy."

Thor looked up at the archer stupidly then plopped the shorter man on the ground.

Then, the team was off again, heading in the direction the train had been heading. Loki steeled himself for battle, but he still could not shake the thought that Veronica was very, very close.


	23. Chapter 23

Since the train car had been destroyed, the team had lost the fastest mode of transportation to their destination. They trudged through the semi-darkness, one behind the other as they tried not trip over the tracks.

Loki chewed on the inside of his cheek. This was becoming far more tiresome and time-consuming than he had thought it would be. if he wanted to, he could teleport out of the tunnel this very instant and be above ground in a matter of seconds.

But then he would lose the team's already shaky trust for him. A trust he needed now that they had something he wanted. His thoughts flashed back to Veronica. Something in his gut told him she was not where she was supposed to be, but he soon chalked it up to his imagination.

"Hey, uh, Loki?" Stark's voice rang from in front of him and Loki squinted through the darkness to the robotic figure ahead of him. "You may want to look at this since this seems to be your area of expertise."

The group stopped and Barton stepped to the side of the tunnel, giving Loki plenty of room to pass without contact. Loki was sorely tempted to jump out at Barton and say 'Boo.' The mortal regarded him with as much disgust as Loki had with the dead rat. _If only you knew what I could do to you…_

Loki made it up to the front of the line where Iron Man was shining a light on several small holes in the wall. Loki just looked at Stark, trying hard not to give him a condescending smirk. Out of all the male members of the Avengers, Loki liked Stark the best. At least he was crafty, insufferable at times, but he was smart and he appreciated bullshit.

Loki was slightly startled at his choice of words. He had never stooped so low as to utter or even think Midgardian curse words. In a small panic, he inwardly promised himself that he would get away from Midgard with Veronica as soon as this was over.

"They are the nests of the faeries that attacked the train," Loki said matter-of-factly. He traced one of the openings that could not have been more than five inches in diameter. "If you look here, you can see the burn marks on the concrete from where they drilled the holes to make them. Oberon must have set them loose down here when he took over the city, knowing that the subways were a weak link in his defense system. The vibrations the train caused when in use would be just enough to stir the things. We'd best keep moving." Loki finished and Tony nodded, lowering the light that was part of the palm of his hand.

Tony retook point and the group continued at a faster pace towards the exit platform.

~Veronica~

As I crawled from my tunnel in the outer wall, I kept a sharp look-out for any sign of Oberon's forces. Interestingly enough, there were no troops out in the open. I kept to the shadows, just in case. As I neared the next gate, however, I felt something sharp jab in between my shoulder blades.

I gasped, hoping that it wasn't another stab wound. I didn't think I could handle another one of those. I looked behind me just in time to see a long, pink tongue being recoiled into a hell-hound's mouth. I was able to think clearly enough to let the long muscle remind me of a frog's tongue before I felt my entire body go limp and numb.

I crumpled to the ground, unable to stop myself from landing face-first in the dirt. My helmet rolled off and I felt pressure from someone kicking me in the back. Then I was rolled over and looking into Heliviti's coal-like eyes.

"Hey, Honey," she said to me with an evil grin. "Sorry, I didn't get to say bye to you at the last little get-together we had."

I tried to get up, but the movement of any muscle in my body was impossible. I was just barely able to blink. Instead, I stared up at her in silence.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. My brother seems to want to talk to you first. Or was it torture you? Oh I can't ever remember these things. Anyhoo, the bottom line is I'm not in the position to kill you… yet." She let out a giggle and had two guards hoist me up. "Take her to the tower. Tell my brother I will be along shortly."

And then I was being carried off. I thought about the baby briefly before the numbing sensation reached my thoughts and I couldn't comprehend anything.

~Loki~

Loki took in a deep breath as the group finally made it to the platform. He placed his helmet on his head, still detesting the impairment it had on his vision.

"Okay," Tony said as the group made it to the platform. "We need to get Oberon's defense wall down so the rest of SHIELD can get in. I figure Hawkeye and Thor can do that while me, Steve, and Loki head up to Avenger's tower to see what damage we can do there." He displayed a holographic map from a slab in the palm of his hand. "There's a force field generator at the top of Avenger's Tower that Oberon has put into place. It supposedly keeps growing as long as his power grows. And as long as the force field grows, his domain grows."

Loki rolled his eyes. Everyone knew this. "Today, please, Mr. Stark. I would like to get home before Veronica has an anxiety breakdown."

"Mind your place, Brother," Thor said threateningly.

Loki turned to Thor. "Oh. I am, Brother. I am making sure this mission runs smoothly. We are wasting time talking here. We need to act. Now."

Thor glared at him, his brow furrowing to the point that it seemed he would not be able to see. Loki smirked at him, but then turned his attention back to the issue at hand. "I suggest that two of us infiltrate Avenger's Tower. As much as I hate to say it, I believe my brother and I would be best suited for the job. We both are experienced in the field of fighting magic. That way the rest of you can concentrate all fire power on the outer wall."

Steve and Hawkeye seemed to agree, though hesitantly. Loki could not blame them. He felt as much disdain for them as they did for him. All he wanted was for this to be over so he and Veronica could be together, focus on raising the child, and, if all went accordingly, leave SHIELD in the dust.

After another minute or two of planning and attempts to shoot Loki's plan down, they agreed to Loki's idea. "Keep communicators in at all times," Steve said to the group. "We'll let you know when we get the wall down," he said, more to Thor than Loki.

And with that, the group dispersed.

~Veronica~

The next thing I was aware of was hard cement against my face. My vision returned and I realized I was sprawled on the floor in one of the holding cells of Avenger's Tower. How considerate. Oberon was going to wait to kill me after the numbing effects of the hell-hound venom wore off.

I didn't have to wait long before the doors slid open and rough hands pulled me to my feet. I stumbled out of the cell, barely comprehending what was going on. I think I must have blacked out again on my way to the elevator because the next thing I remember is being ushered through double doors to see Oberon himself standing by the large window of Avenger's meeting room.

"Sit," he said to me. I just looked at him. "I said _sit._" As he said that, he waved his hand sharply down. I felt a tug on my body and I ended up in a chair. _Stupid magic._ "Now. What on earth would one, seemingly helpless Avenger being doing trying to infiltrate my city?"

I looked at him, my muscles tense.

"You are not going to answer me?" he said, turning from the window.

"No," I rasped out. He was going to kill me either way. I may as well go out with the satisfaction of not telling him anything about the invasion.

He raised his eyebrows. "But, forgive me, but it does not make sense to me that the rest of your little team has attempted to infiltrate my city using the subway cars. I would think they would want you with them."

He smirked at my surprised expression. "Yes. I know about your little plan. I must say, it was very stirring to see such a grand attempt to destroy me."

He walked over to the table I sat at and sat down across from me. I looked him dead in the eye… until intense, terrible images filled my head. It wasn't just images playing in my head. I was _there_.

_I was looking at my parents' graves. That was a real memory. I felt the mind-numbing loss, then the flood of grief that had come with their deaths. I thought I might drown just from that memory._

_Then I saw the rest of my team, lying dead after the final battle against Oberon. That was a fear. A terrible, gruesome fear that had made me come to the city in the first place. _

_The last one I was fully unprepared for. Loki was killing people. Lots of people. I let out a scream as he came at me, a blade raised to plunge into my chest…_

I was pulled from the images in my head by Oberon's laugh. I let out shaky, winded breaths as he continued to laugh sadistically. So this is what had driven Loki to the point of insanity.

"You… Bastard," I rasped out, trying not to show the pain in my voice. That was what he wanted.

He laughed again before speaking. "You know, I thought Loki had the best fears to twist. But you," he said waving a hand at me, "have a lot to work with as well."

"Go to hell," I spat.

He waved a finger at me "Tsk tsk, let us not forget who is your host here, Miss Parker."

I looked at him incredulously.

"Now. Back to business. My offer is simple. Tell me what I want to know sooner than later, and I kill you before I kill your precious Loki. Tell me later and things will get a bit sticky."

"You're sick," I said vehemently. He laughed again.

"I knew Loki would touch a nerve with you. What was the secret to house-training him? I never could perfect that method. He ran off too soon for me to unveil my actual plan to him. oh well, saves me some trouble. Now, tell me. where are the others headed?"

I shook my head and barely registered myself screaming before the images returned. With the images came physical pain.

~Loki~

Loki was walking ahead of Thor, trying very hard not to talk to his older brother.

Avenger's tower loomed in the distance and he sucked in a breath.

"Brother?" Thor's voice boomed from behind him, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Loki stopped in his tracks, turning around slowly and raising his eyebrows. "What is it, Thor?" he nearly spat.

Thor had stopped as well and was several feet away from Loki. "Do you… do you really love Veronica?"

Loki tried very hard not to let out an annoyed sigh. This was hardly the time or place for a discussion such as this. "Thor, we need to keep moving."

"Answer me, Brother. Prove to me that there is some of my brother still there." Thor walked up to Loki, meeting the shorter man's eyes.

"I'm not your brother, Thor. I never was. " he repeated what he had told Thor just minutes before he had fallen to Midgard so long ago back in Asgard. "And just for the record, yes. I do love Veronica. I care for her more deeply than I care for anyone I know. Especially more than you." He knew his words would sting, but that was just what he wanted.

Thor recoiled at his brother's words. "So this is what it has come to. We were great friends once, Loki," he said quietly.

Loki nodded absently. "But those days are done. Mark my words. The moment this battle is finished, I will be out of SHIELD's way, and Veronica along with me. I want the baby to have a safe place to grow up."

Thor looked at his brother, tilting his head to the side slightly. Before he could say anything, however, a RPG landed in the wall of the marble-slabbed bank behind him, blinking red light. Loki only had time to create a force field around himself before the wall burst into a pile of rubble from the explosion. He saw Thor go flying through the air from the force of the blast and was soon covered in dust.

Out of the rubble, Loki could hear a woman's scream pierce his consciousness. He looked around, but saw no one. The scream was coming from inside his head. He knew exactly who it was, even as a barrage of bullets fired around him.

Oberon had Veronica. But how? He lowered his defenses to sling a disc of magic at an advancing hell-hound, slicing the monster clean in half.

He looked over to see Thor, who had taken cover behind a fallen pillar from the bank that had been hit by the explosion. To Thor's right, the doors of the bank had landed flat on the ground. the blast had come from inside the bank.

A closer look told Loki that a bunch of hell-hounds were coming out of the place where the doors had been. Guards filed out of the marble building. A grenade landed next to Thor.

Without thinking, Loki had slung himself at his older brother, grabbing the door and using it to shield both himself and Thor from the explosion.

No sooner than he had the door in place, fortified by a force field, than the explosion from the grenade went off.

Thor looked at his younger brother in disbelief. Loki himself still couldn't believe what he had done. He had just saved the life of the brother he had sworn to hate.

"We need to keep moving, brother," was all he said, and he took off running in the direction of Avenger's tower. He knew for sure that Veronica was here and she needed him.

* * *

><p><strong>Pheeewww. Okay. So I thought that was a good amount of action to start the battlewith XD. After struggling with writer's block last night I had an idea hit me for the rest of the story. I eagerly sat down and typed this chapter at top-speed. hopefully it was satisfactory!<strong>

**Thanks to all who have reviewed. It makes me happy to know my work is appreciated. Please keep it up!**


	24. Chapter 24

~Veronica~

I took in shallow breaths, pulling myself from the mental stupor Oberon's torture had induced. He lounged on one of the sofas, taking a break while he waited for Hel to get there.

She didn't disappoint. She showed up within a few minutes of the last of my screams.

She glanced over at me then turned to her brother. "Let me have a moment with her, brother," she said brandishing a knife. "It's time for a little girl talk."

I wasn't awake enough to figure out what she meant. I merely continued to drool into my lap (figuratively, of course).

Oberon looked at Hel for the briefest moment before rising from his place and leaving the room. Hel clapped her hands behind her back, hiding the knife behind it as well. "Look at Little Veronica," she said as she walked right up to me. "Where's your lover now, hmmm?"

She took my arms and held my right wrist out, exposing the tender flesh of the underside of my forearm when she pulled my leather cuff off, none too gentle, might I add.

Her claw-like fingernails dug into the flesh that surrounded Loki's mark on my skin. I bit my lip.

"This is what saved you from me last time, wasn't it, Precious?" she said lethally. I met her gaze, no emotions betraying me. "I should have known that bastard wouldn't have hung around me much longer. In fact, I am surprised he's stayed with you for so long." She bopped me across the face, just hard enough for it to sting on impact. I slung my hair from my face to meet her gaze once more. "Surely there's a reason why…" she said quietly as she took the blade from behind her back and began to trace the tip of it gently around the scar on my wrist. "These are not given to just any mortal ..."

My thoughts flashed to the baby. Was Loki staying with me only because of that? Was guilt finally getting to the god of mischief? I prayed it wasn't. Ever since I had learned of the child I had imagined a happy family setting. Maybe somewhere on the coast…. Not somewhere that Loki's dark past would infiltrate…

My left hand flew instinctively to my belly… and I automatically regretted it. Hel's coal-like eyes met my crystal blue ones, understanding flashing in flames under the black pupils…

~Loki~

Loki ran. Ran faster than his feet had ever carried him. He could hear Thor behind him, knocking Hell-hounds from out of his way as he struggled to keep up with his younger brother. Loki paid no attention to his brother's struggles. He was too concerned with Veronica.

He had taken off before the bank had become overrun with the hell-hounds and guards, gaining a head start. Thor had not been so lucky… or smart.

Loki had a choice to make. He could teleport now and get to Veronica sooner, leaving his brother behind, or he could keep running, lengthening the amount of time it took to get to the tower, thereby broadening the window of time for Veronica to be tortured… or killed.

"Thor!" he yelled over his shoulder. "Get back to the others. I am going on."

Thor didn't stop, he just kept following Loki, knocking a rather unfortunate guard under the chin with the hammer in his right hand.

Loki slowed, just barely enough to talk sense into his oaf of a brother. "You will do more good in the outer wall. Leave Oberon to me. Veronica needs me."

Thor's eyes lit up at the mention of Veronica. "She is here?" he yelled in between blows as the two kept running.

"Yes. Go now. Gain the necessary reinforcements to attack the tower head on. Get the agents in and we stand a better chance."

Thor finally grasped logic and nodded to his younger brother. "Be safe," was all he said before he shot into the air.

Loki turned to look at the advancing guards briefly before he vanished in a puff of green smoke, heading for the tower that loomed in front of him, heading for Veronica.

~Veronica~

Hel bared an evil grin at me. "Ahhh," she said through her smile and looking down at my belly. "I see."

I took in shallow breaths, scared to death not just for my life, but for the baby's as well. It was quite possible that Hel could kill it before she even began to harm me.

The knife moved from my wrist to my belly and I drew in a sharp breath. This was it…

"Hel!" I heard him before I saw him. "Since when did you take to torturing pregnant women?"

Hel looked over my shoulder at Loki. She smiled again, not bothered by his appearance at all. "Just recently, actually, Loki."

I kept my eyes on the knife at my stomach, not daring to turn around and face Loki. She brought the knife up, never breaking eye contact with him, aiming it to jab into my stomach just below my belly button.

The next thing I knew, she was flying off of me, propelled through the air by one of Loki's magic discs. She slammed against the wall, dazed.

Warm fingertips checked my pulse and held my face up to meet his eyes. "The baby?" he said quietly.

"Fine, I think."

He kissed my forehead, helping me to my feet. Hel got up and before I could say anything she had slung her whip at him. It should have caught him across the back, but he extended a hand backwards and allowed the whip to wrap around his wrist. Tearing his gaze from mine, he turned back to Hel.

"Do you mind?" he said dramatically. And with that, he shot a length of ice down the whip, extinguishing the flames as it travelled down it. It then grew to slowly encase her body as she let out high-pitched screams. It obviously hurt her.

I could hear Oberon's footsteps coming back from down the hall, but Loki showed no signs of relenting the torturous encasing of Hel's body in ice.

"Loki…" I said, resting a hand on his chest. His skin was turning blue. "Stop." His gaze turned back to me, and I saw evil and anger lurking there in red, glowing eyes. I took an automatic step backwards. By this time, Hel was completely encased in ice, her eyeballs moving around comically… only in this situation it wasn't funny at all.

He sent something, magic I think through the connection that the whip around his wrist had formed, and I could hear a muffled scream sound from the case. "Loki. Just kill her already," I said defiantly. This was becoming difficult to watch as the trapped form tried to wriggle from the prison Loki had formed around her. He kept at it "LOKI!"

Then, he slung another force field disc at her frozen form and she splintered into a mix of ash and ice.

He turned back to me. "What the _hell_ do you think you are doing here?" he asked me quietly.

Before I could answer Oberon had burst through the door and seen the remains of his sister on the ground next to us. Loki had grabbed hold of my arm and we were teleporting through the air away from Avenger's Tower. I was able to hear Oberon's cry of outrage just before we were too far away.

When we landed on solid ground again I could hear the distant bang of artillery. Smoke rose from the outer gate and I could make out small gaps where the others must have infiltrated it. Loki steered me into an abandoned building, pushing me through the door.

"What are you doing here, Veronica?" he asked me quietly. It was scarier than if he had yelled at me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. "And how, dare I ask, did you come across that disguise you are wearing?" I looked down at the blue canvas jumpsuit that was nearly torn to shreds by now. I unzipped it quickly, pulling it off to reveal my Avenger's uniform as I answered him.

"I told you, I wasn't going to let you all fight Oberon without me. And as for the disguise, I don't have to tell you where I got it from."

"It was Stark wasn't it?" he asked me, his intense stare burning right through mine.

I just looked back.

"I might have known, that bastard really has got to learn…" he stopped, looking at me. He placed his hand on the side of my face. "You could have died if I had not sensed your pain. You realize that."

"I've always known that, Loki. My job required me to fight. I wasn't about to leave you all to fend for yourself, no matter what Steve or you said."

The hand on my cheek grew icy cold, even through the leather glove he wore I could feel it change before he lowered it and turned away to bury his face in his hands in irritation. "Yes. But you risked another life in the process. Look how far you got on your own before Hel got you!" His voice was growing louder now and he had to fight to restrain himself, not to give our location away. I just looked at him. "It was selfish and immature." He brought his face from his hands, looking at me with utter disapproval.

I bit back angry tears. I wanted to hit him, but refrained, instead using words to wound him. "Look who's talking! The man who sat there and wasted valuable time prolonging the death of Heliviti! Besides, if I remember correctly, Loki, those traits seem to be two things I picked up from you."

I turned away from him, walking towards the exit and slinking out onto the streets where hell-hounds lurked and snipers were everywhere. I didn't care. Anywhere was better than where I was at that moment.

It didn't escape my notice that he didn't try to follow me.

* * *

><p><strong>Ohhh the drama. What will become of our little couple? Please review guys, I feel like I lost some of yall : let me know if it needs something!**

**And thank you to ALL who have been reviewing. Please know I cherish each and every one that is left for me :)**

**~Sirius**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Okay, so I am very sorry that it has taken so much longer than usual to update! A combination of writer's block and school has been a pretty big impairment on the whole update schedule… :/**

**Hopefully this chapter will make up for it ;) I hope you like it!**

**and to Mac n' Meez: You asked for it, now I am giving it to you...the last scene of this is dedicated to you... hopefully you won't hate me too much XD**

**~Sirius**

~Loki~

Loki watched Veronica go, exhaling sharply in irritation. _Blasted woman. Fine, let her go._

His conscience soon got the best of him, however, and he started walking.

He kicked a bit of gravel with the toe of his boot as he walked back out the way she had gone. He had discarded his gun completely by now, dropping it somewhere along the way of getting to that confounded woman's rescue.

He looked around for her, trying to figure out where she had gone. She was carrying his child after all and he didn't think it right to let her wander around randomly. Especially after she had just been subject to the same tortures he had so long ago. He cursed the consience that had seemingly formed from no where in his mind.

The scar on his chest burned slightly, mirroring the anger she must have felt for him. He allowed himself a smirk through his irritation.

His amusement didn't last long, however. His thoughts were stopped in their tracks as a group of armed guards appeared out of nowhere. What had he expected? There was a battle going on. Just because he and Veronica had had a fight of their own did not leave a good enough excuse for everything else to stop in its tracks.

He stopped, allowing himself to be surrounded.

A fight they wanted? Fine. A Fight they would have.

Quick as a whip, Loki slashed out at the two guards nearest him, putting up a shield of magic to block the bullets of the others opposite him. In a burst of adrenaline, he kicked out, knocking the other two on their faces.

His senses heightened, he scanned the area for more guards or hellhounds. Nothing.

Until he heard the click of a rifle directly behind his left ear. He tensed, keeping his eyes dead ahead.

Another second later he heard the unmistakable zap of electricity and the soft thud of the guard that had snuck up on him falling to the ground.

"Who's helpless now, Love," Veronica's voice came across the square, mimicking his nickname for her. He turned around to face her, each and every one of his senses on fire.

"Why, you still, of course, My Little Veronica," he said, an arrogant tone slipping into his smooth voice.

~Veronica~

I glared at Loki, thinking about how much the tables had turned. If I hadn't happened to be walking through here, Loki would have had his head blown off. The irony of it was gripping.

He must have read my thoughts. "Keep in mind, dear, that if you had not disobeyed orders in the first place I would not be here."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. "And the trip would have been far less interesting," I replied swiftly. "Now are we heading back to find the others or what?"

He brushed dust off of his armor, straightening up and looking at me intensely. "Perhaps," he said after a moment. He closed the distance between us, stopping when he was three feet away and mimicking my position by crossing his arms as well. "It would be better for you to head back before Captain Rogers and Fury discover your… indiscretion."

My head spun and I suddenly felt extremely dizzy. I swayed, chalking it up to the side-effects of Oberon's torture… or maybe the baby was growing or something. "Absolutely... Not…" I forced out. "I am needed here."

Loki's thin lips drew into a line so tight they looked as though they may disappear. I just stared at him, trying hard not to blink rapidly after that last bout of dizziness. Any sign of weakness was just more leverage for him to use against me… and I was NOT going back of my own accord.

Then something else shifted into that blue-green gaze. I didn't know what it was, but it made me squirm.

"Veronica, Darling," he said walking up to me to where our toes nearly touched. "I really wish you would not make me do this…"

He took me by the arm, backing me into an alley that would shelter us from any threat. He brought a cool hand to brush my hair behind my ear as he pressed his lips gently to the point under my ear, letting his mouth rest on the sensitive skin there.

"Oh, no you don't," I said, forcing out every word. "You are NOT seducing me into leaving."

He traced his lower lip down the length of my neck, resting it on my collarbone. "Oh?" he said. I could feel his cool breath exhale and his lips smile as I outwardly shivered. I cursed my body's willingness to give in to him. "I seem to remember a good deal of getting you to follow what I say…" He pulled away to meet my now unfocused eyes, resting a cool hand at my waist and trailing it to rest on my belly. I was still vaguely aware of artillery in the background, but it suddenly seemed far, far away.

Why did I let him do this to me?

I pushed him away deliberately. "No. We need to find the others."

He let out a sigh. "Of course, we do, my Darling," he said airily. He was humoring me.

"Loki, dammit," I said, slightly louder than I meant to. "Just let me-"

He kissed me on the lips once before he blew some sort of powder from the palm of his hand into my face. Everything grew foggy as I tried to cough what part of the powder I had inhaled up from my respiratory tract.

And then the darkness took me.

~Loki~

Loki lurched forward and caught Veronica as she passed out. The powder-like substance he had used to put her to sleep was of his own making. A blend of magic and Midgardian herbs, completely harmless, but extremely effective.

He wiped the remainder of the powder on his glove on the pant leg of his armor, bracing Veronica in the other hand.

Doing a double take of his surroundings, he brought her closer to him, lifting her up in both of his arms before teleporting to the front lines.

He landed squarely on his feet just as a blast went off a hundred feet from his touch down point. He staggered slightly, holding onto the girl in his arms for dear life.

Gathering his bearings, he was able to make out the figure of Iron Man in the distance blasting a whole in the outer wall. It looked like he had done so several times in different strategic points. A huge green figure had come through the wall now, signifying the rest of SHIELD had arrived. A bunch of men were swarming around like ants and hell hounds were everywhere.

"Loki?" Steve's voice came through the communicator in Loki's ear and it startled him. He had all but forgotten about the bug-like device in his ear.

"Yes?" he hissed.

"We need you back down at headquarters stat."

Loki looked down at Veronica. Well, she had brought it upon herself. Whatever Steve did to her now was entirely her fault. He was here to protect her from Oberon, not from herself.

With a shrug, he slung her over his shoulder and started walking towards the bunker. That the team had arrived in. it had moved gradually as the attack was mounted, so it was literally just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the outer wall. All he had to worry about was the enemy.

A few minutes later he was walking though the secret entrance with Veronica in his arms.

He deposited her, ignoring the looks the SHIELD agents and Rogers gave them, in one of the infirmary beds. There weren't that many wounded yet, so plenty of beds were open_. The key word there was yet._

The battle had just begun.

Steve was so angry that he looked like he might spit fire. Normally, Loki would have been amused at the mortal's discomfort, but today he was just as angry as Steve was. Most of that anger, he realized, was directed at a certain mortal billionaire…

"I had nothing to do with this, Captain Rogers," Loki said as he realized that Steve's anger was directed at him. "Now if you will excuse me, I will be back. She will not be awake for an hour or two."

Before Steve could react, Loki had vanished in a puff of smoke.

Somewhere in transmission, he spotted Iron Man cutting through the sky.

Adding a layer of magic to his armor, he allowed himself to fall out of flight just as Iron Man passed under him.

Bracing himself for impact, he landed directly on the robotic figure. The force of his landing brought Stark from his flight and the two plummeted to earth.

"What the-" Stark said, shaking his head as the front plate of his helmet opened up and he saw Loki coming towards him… and flew through the air again as Loki's fist made contact with his face.

"Woah, Loki," Stark said, trying to get up. "What the hell did I do to y-"

Loki knocked him down again with his foot. "You know exactly, Mr. Stark. One word should jog your memory: Veronica? Yes, well she is here and I simply cannot fathom any other way that she would have gotten her hands on a SHIELD uniform to come with us when she was under direct orders not to."

Tony sat up, scratching his robotic head infuriatingly. "Well now, was that really a good enough reason to knock me down like that? How do you know it was me?"

Loki just glared at him.

"Woah. I've seen that look before." Then after a few minutes, " Fine. I helped her out. But she would have figured out a way with or without me. Just because you can't handle her doesn't mean that you can play a round of 'beat up Stark' every time she pisses you off. Get over yourself, buddy."

Stark cringed as Loki's fist made contact with the metal just over the round metal object in his chest that was his life source. "Damn, watch it!" Loki watched as Stark's eyes went even wider than usual at some unseen pain.

And then Stark fell over, unconscious.

**Another cliffhanger, guys, so sorry! XD**

**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: So I was driving down the road today when the song **_**Sound of Winter**_** by Bush came on. I automatically decided it was going to be my inspiration for this chapter. Does that happen to anyone else or is it just me? :3 But seriously, the song has great music as well as lyrics to (at least in my mind) fit the story. Check it out! **

~Veronica~

I woke up with a start. Where was I?

Then memories returned in a rush.

A few beds down from mine, I could hear a subtle beep, beep, beep. I turned my head, ever so slightly, to get a view of the unlucky soul in the bed.

My heart sank when doctors came into focus, rushing around Tony Stark's lifeless form. _What the hell had happened? _

I was able to catch a glimpse of the glowing disc that was typically in his chest resting on a rolling surgical table next to the bed. _Oh no. Not Tony. Please._

I swallowed, trying hard not to cry. Who had done this to him?

"How ya feeling, Parker?" came Hawkeye's voice from nowhere in particular.

I turned to where the sound of his voice was coming from as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to my bed. I sat up quickly. I wasn't injured, just dizzy. How had I gotten like this again?

"I don't think I have ever seen Steve as pissed off as he is right now," Hawkeye said with a chuckle.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I said as I slipped my boots on. "There is a war going on."

Barton tilted his head slightly. "We had to pull back after your boyfriend tried to kill Stark."

My eyes went wide. "WHAT?"

"Yeah. He dropped you off here, then disappeared. Next thing we know, Stark's down and we have lost control of the outer wall. We haven't heard from Loki since."

I swallowed hard, closing my eyes and bringing a hand to my forehead to rub the tension away. "Is Tony gonna make it?"

Barton pressed his lips together, obviously trying to decide what to say.

And then a familiarly chilling voice pieced my consciousness. "Ah. Good. You are awake."

Loki materialized out of nowhere, landing softly on his feet next to the bed. I just glared at him as Barton piped up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, honey. But you're about to be in a hell of a lot of trouble after what you did."

Loki looked down at Clint in utter contempt. "I am unsure of what you mean, Mr. Barton."

Clint stood up quickly, meeting Loki eye to eye. "You know damn well, you son of-"

"Guys," I said, standing up as well. I squelched the dizziness that erupted as the blood whooshed from my head and back to my feet. "Fighting isn't going to fix Tony."

"I quite agree, Veronica. In fact-"

I cut Loki off. "Loki. Shut up." He pressed his lips together. I turned to Barton. "Can you give us a minute?"

Clint pulled his gaze away from Loki to look down at me. "Fine. I'll give you a _minute_. But then this ass hole is getting locked up."

I scratched my head awkwardly as Barton stalked off, probably looking for Steve.

"Loki. What did you do to him?"

Loki crossed his arms defensively. "Veronica…"

"Did you kill him? Did you mean to? Oh my god, Loki!" tears were beginning to form in my eyes and I wiped them away angrily.

"I did not intend to kill him, Love. I swear to you. But he is still alive. That much I know. There is a chance he will survive."

I looked off, my mouth hanging open in disbelief as more tears fell. "How could you? After we let you join. After he_ trusted you_ when the others wanted to lock you up…" I whispered.

"He had no right to help you leave. I was merely-"

"When are you going to learn that you can't just kill the people that don't do what you want them to, Loki? Good god!" By this point, we were out of ear shot of the other doctors. They probably wouldn't pay us any attention anyway seeing how hard they were working to save Stark.

He tried to take my hand. "Don't touch me," I said. "I was wrong. You haven't changed a bit. You're still a selfish-" I hit him in the gut.

"-Veronica-"

"-superficial-" I hit him in the face

"-Love-"

"Bastard!" I finished, punching him in the left eye. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, his blue-green gaze turned sad. "But, God help me, I still love you," I finished bitterly through my tears.

As if on cue, Barton showed up with Steve. Steve barely looked at me as he glared at Loki. "I should have known, Loki, that our alliance wouldn't last long. Now you've gone and seriously injured one of my best men."

Loki tore his gaze from mine, rolling his eyes at Steve. I crossed my arms and took a step back. "He had it coming," was all Loki said before he shot a burst of ice at Steve and Hawkeye and vanished into thin air.

~Loki~

_Why? You stupid bastard? Why did you do that?_

He still wasn't sure what he was going to do and as he travelled in teleportation, he found himself feeling… guilty. He had liked Stark up until he had helped Veronica into battle. Loki's temper had gotten the best of him and he had gone to find the mortal.

But he had not meant to kill him. That he was sure of.

Where was he to go now? Veronica was angry with him, something that wasn't a complete rarity, but she felt betrayed, that much he could tell. He exhaled angrily, and sped up as he cut through the air.

He landed on the sandy banks of the New York harbor, a huge statue of a woman holding a torch high in the air stood out against the orange sky.

He inhaled deeply. Sunset had always been one of his favorite times of day.

His thoughts drifted to his home of Asgard. He really did miss it. He suddenly realized he was exhausted. Beyond fighting sleep, he lay down in the sand, not caring that two forces were currently in a stalemate of a war. His eyes closed…

"_Loki?" he heard a woman's voice cut through his thoughts. It was a voice he had not heard in a very long time. _

_But he recognized it immediately as the voice of his mother. Frigga. _

_He looked around, but when he saw no one, he decided his imagination was playing with him. Perhaps he had seen the statue out in the harbor and his mind had decided that, in some warped way, it reminded him of his mother. _

"_My son," came the voice again. "Answer your mother."_

_He looked up again, scouring the beach. This time he was able to see a glowing figure wading through the water towards him. _

"_Mother?" he said quietly, shielding his eyes from the intensity of Frigga's glow. She stood out in the encroaching darkness. _

"_My dear. We have little time. I am able to speak to you briefly. Oh, my boy. I have missed you." Loki tried to embrace his mother, the one person in Asgard that had always shown him the same amount of love as she did Thor, but his arms cut through her body as if it were mist. _

_That frightened him. "Mother?" _

"_Dear. Listen to me. Oberon has grown powerful, perhaps too strong for even the most powerful of mortals to stop him. My love, you must accept the gift I am about to give you… and use it to bring peace to this world. Promise me that."_

_Loki nodded. He understood why his mother was leaving him with this task. He had unleashed Oberon in the first place, and this was her way of allowing him to redeem himself in the eyes of Asgard. He half-expected her to scold him for his past trouble-making over the last Midgardian years, but that had never been her way..._

"_Give me your hand." He outstretched his hand and she took it in both of hers. Power surged through from her body into his. He automatically felt every part of his being grow whole again. The pain, the guilt, the sorrow. Everything was gone now. He inhaled and fell backwards. _

"_You have my utmost faith, Loki. You always did." Frigga said as she kissed his cheek and turned away from him. _

_She walked back to the edge of the shore, turned back once to wave at him, then disappeared under the waves, returning to Asgard. _

Loki woke up gasping for breath. He brushed the sand from his breeches as he stood up. The same power he had felt coursing through him in the dream was still within him.

He was ready to face Oberon.

So that was where Loki was going to go. Back into the belly of the beast to redeem himself in the eyes of Asgard, and, more importantly, Veronica.

**AN: So… well, yeah. That's another chapter, folks :) **

**Please review! **


	27. Chapter 27

**We have a guest star in this chapter, guys! Just a heads up :D**

* * *

><p>~Veronica~<p>

After Loki had ran off, Steve and Hawkeye had issued a warrant for his immediate arrest. They had decided to give me a break, seeing as Stark had been the one to help me out in the first place. If I had been in their position, I wouldn't have let me off the hook that easily, but, hey, I was NOT about to question that.

They needed every man out there fighting.

I walked into the hospital wing, looking down at Tony. The doctors had him stabilized by now, and his readings were good. Things were looking up as far as his survival.

I sat next to Tony briefly. I didn't have long to sit in my guilt, however, because there was an emergency meeting in half an hour. Apparently we were reforming the right flank of our forces to attack from the shore. That was all I really had gotten from Steve before he had stormed off. He probably was still pretty pissed at me…

Oh well. I shrugged as I pulled myself from my thoughts. "Damn, Tony. You help me out and this is how you are repaid. I'm sorry, bud." I said quietly as I stood up.

I was half way to the door when I heard a scream rip from his chest and he sat bolt upright in bed. It was actually kind of comical… in a sick way…

I jumped from the scare as I turned around. He was sitting there, cool as ever after that little outburst. "Who the _hell_ has been sitting on my chest?" he said, peeling the bandages away from the skin there to look at the new disc the doctors had put into him.

I raced back to the bed. "Tony! Oh my god. I was so worried! Here. Don't peel at the bandages."

I helped reposition the pillows behind his head so he could sit upright. I pressed the button under the bed to call for the doctor as well. He still had his hands at the bandages, trying to see what was under them.

I smacked his hand lightly. "Hey, now. Do you want one of those cone things they put on dogs? Because, believe me, I will find a way…"

"Oh. Hey, Sunshine," he said as if noticing me for the first time. "Did I ever tell you that your boyfriend is a-"

His last comment was cut off as the doctor rushed in, stethoscope drawn and morphine shot in hand.

~Loki~

Loki looked off in the distance, relishing the night. A cool breeze blew off of the harbor and he inhaled. He hadn't gone toward Avenger's Tower. He was waiting for daylight. He had set up the necessary precautions so Oberon's forces couldn't find him, and he let himself rest. He would need every ounce of it to fight Oberon.

He didn't realize had fallen asleep until he felt someone kicking his left boot.

"Hey," a female voice reached his ears. "Dude. Are you dead?" A hand checked his pulse.

He opened one eye to be completely startled by his own reflection looking back at him. The reflection pulled away as bug-like eyes appeared in his vision, which, as the figure pulled farther away, he realized it to be a girl wearing reflective… what was it these mortals called them? Aviator sunglasses? Yes. That was it. He recalled Stark had a pair, but they weren't like these at all… he could not see himself in Stark's.

The woman behind the glasses had brown, curly hair that fell just below her chin and a heart-shaped face. She looked like she could have been near Veronica's age, actually. "Look. If you're going to sleep here, buddy, you're going to have to-"

She was cut off by a blast of magic Loki directed directly into her middle. She sprawled back onto the sand. "What the hell? I was trying to tell you to roll over. You snore… which isn't the best tactic to ward off hell-hounds." she said angrily, but Loki didn't hear her. He was more distracted by the glowing green irises of her eyes. Her glasses had been knocked off when she had fallen backwards and she grabbed them from the sand. "God. Look what you've done now. You've gone and scratched 'em. I'll have you know these aren't cheap. Especially with the amount my job pays me. Not that it's any of your business… but it's not much."

Loki just looked at the girl. Glowing green eyes? In all his years he had not seen any mortal with eyes like that. Ever. "Who are you?" he asked tentatively.

She got up, brushing sand from her backside before answering him. "Depends. Who are you?"

Loki sucked in a breath in irritation. She was nearly as infuriating as Veronica. "Loki Odinson," he replied. What harm would knowing his name be?

Eyebrows arched over the rims of the girl's glasses. "Well, Loki Odinson" she replied, mocking his authoritative air. "I am Agent Carter McIntyre, SHIELD agent."

Loki's irritation grew. This was the last thing he needed. Surely there were new warrants out for his arrest by now… Not that he doubted he could take the mortal woman…

Her lips twisted into a grin that made him highly uncomfortable. "That's right. I know you now." He sucked in a breath. "You're the dude that went and got Veronica Parker, the Avenger woman, knocked up." Loki cringed. "Well. It looks like you are just as lost as me, buddy. I lost my squad a few hours ago to a pack of hell-hounds. I've been out of contact with SHIELD since yesterday evening. Have you heard anything? What's going on?"

Loki looked at the mortal, considering what to say. He opened his mouth to speak, but sudden movement from behind him was reflected in the girl's sunglasses. "Get down!" she said as a glowing green force field appeared out of nowhere. She had summoned it out of thin air. But she wasn't an Avenger… at least not that he knew of…

The force field formed a shield between Loki and a barrage of bullets, and he ducked down as she directed. He wanted to save as much energy as possible and if she was willing to use her abilities he was going to let her.

As the shield's strength waned, Loki stood up and slung an extremely powerful blast of magic at Oberon's agents. With a boom, the men dissolved into nothing.

"What was that." He said flatly.

She shrugged. "Gamma does that to you. It was a force field."

He turned back to the girl. "Why are you not an Avenger?" he said, completely forgetting that he shouldn't care a lick about the affairs of SHIELD.

He imagined she rolled her eyes under the reflective sunglasses. "That Couslon guy? Yeah. He found me as they were evacuating New York. I said I wanted to help, he tested me and put me in charge of a squad of agents. Pretty sweet, right?" she said grinning. "But we'd better try to get back to the main bunker outside the outer wall. I don't really fancy the opportunity to wait around for Hell-hounds."

Loki looked at the strange mortal. She was rather amusing. Her mannerisms almost reminded him of Stark. Almost.

He still wasn't sure if she was trustworthy, but she seemed to not know anything about his little break up with the team. He probed her mind for any type of suspicion towards him and came up empty.

"Perhaps you would like to help me infiltrate Avenger's Tower," he said coolly. He looked off in the direction that the sun had risen. "When it gets a little later in the day? Your powers would come in rather… handy with the plan I have set into motion."

The girl crossed her arms. "Aren't you supposed to hate SHIELD?" she said slyly. He just looked at her and she threw her arms up in the air. "What the hell. I'm in. but I want a raise when we get back."

Loki cocked his head to the left. This mortal knew how to play games. So did he. "I can try… to arrange that."

~Veronica~

I sat with my legs propped up in the chair across the table from me, desperately hoping this would be the team's last meeting to plan against Oberon. I wanted this to be over. Soon.

"Alright," Steve said. "Good news first. Stark is going to make a full recovery. The bad news? He won't be in this fight. The disc those doctors put into his chest has to heal into the tissue around his chest." Steve pulled up a map and passed the meeting on to Fury.

Fury, scary as ever, stood up and began to speak. "Alright. We have regained ground in the eastern side of the city. We are currently trying to get control of the shore. Oberon still has snipers set up around that area, but it's only a matter of time before we clear them out. No word yet on Loki's whereabouts, but we know he hasn't left Earth. ALL of us are to treat him as hostile on site." Fury looked at me sternly, emphasizing the word 'all.'

"As for the rest of the Avengers. Rogers, Barton, and, as much as I hate to say it, Parker need to focus on getting into the tower. And setting detonations in the lab with Oberon's remaining eggs. Data analysis has come back with evidence that they are set to hatch within the next twenty-four hours. We NEED to get them down ASAP. If they hatch, they will be virtually unstoppable and Oberon's chances of winning will greatly increase."

I had never heard Fury talk about possible failure before, so I took this part of the mission to be extremely crucial. Banner and Thor were going to retake the outer wall again and SHIELD agents would take it from there.

The meeting dispersed and we were off once again. Loki sat in the back of my mind, and I felt a little nudge in my belly. That caught my attention.

I looked down, placing a hand against a small bulge that had formed there. I had NOT been pregnant long enough for it to grow that fast. Panic welled up inside me, but Barton's voice brought me back to earth.

"Come on, Veronica. Keep up if you can!" he taunted me. I gave him a fake smile to match the hollowness inside me. And then I took off running after Steve and Barton.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok. It is not a twilight baby. I promise. I just thought it would give a good turn of events to have the baby grow a bit (even if it doesn't match scientific fact). <strong>

**And could anyone guess who our guest appearance is from? Well. If you don't know, I'll tell you. **

**She is an OC from Mac n' Meez's stories "Some assembly required" and "Putting the pieces" **

**She was used with permission. Thank you, Mac! I love writing her and I hope I did her justice for you. She will appear in the next chapter, so I hope it was good :D **

**Please review, guys. It means the world to me! **

**~Sirius **


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Don't own Marvel… or Carter McIntire…**

~Loki~

"Why did I agree to come with you, again?" Carter McIntire said in an exasperated tone. Loki turned from his hiding place behind the building across the street from Avenger tower to look at the woman. He had been scouting the entrance for signs of weakness… and had come up empty.

"Because. You want a raise... and I want help," he replied stiffly. She still made him feel uncomfortable. She was extremely perceptive and he did not want her finding out that he was currently on the run from the very organization she worked for.

The girl crossed her arms and leaned against the brick alley wall opposite him. "You seem kinda uptight…"

Loki rolled his eyes and turned back to his position. _Of course he was uptight. He was just about to do battle against a sorcerer far more skilled and stronger than he._

"Give me your hand," he said, stretching a gloved hand out to her. She just looked at it, then obviously decided it was the thing to do because she reached for it.

A few seconds later, the two were in Avenger Tower. "How did you…" she whispered from their hiding spot.

Loki smirked. "It is called magic. It does that to you," he replied, mocking what she had said when they first met about the effects of gamma. She had taken her sunglasses off now they were inside so he could clearly see glowing green eyes roll at his last comment.

"Do you remember the plan?" he asked quietly as the two skirted the walls, keeping in shadow in case a guard were to see them.

"Yup. I take out the egg thingies with my force fields and you make a run for Oberon."

"Put simply," Loki said. "Yes. But be…" he trailed off to let her fill in the blank.

"Extremely careful, yada yada, I know."

"…and…"

"Don't let the eggs hatch before I can destroy them." McIntire crossed her arms as they made it to the elevator. The guard at the front desk saw the two, but before he could raise an alarm, Loki had silenced him with a forgetfulness spell.

McIntire stopped dead when she saw the elevator. "Aren't there… stairs?" she nearly squeaked.

Loki looked at her. "What? Are you afraid of heights?" he asked jokingly.

Her green eyes widened. "Nope. But falling is an entirely different matter."

"Just get in," he said as the elevator doors opened and he enchanted the security camera within to ignore their pictures.

With a sigh, Carter stepped inside.

The elevators closed and Loki selected the level he remembered the eggs to be on. "Seriously, McKinley-"

"McIntire," she corrected him forcefully.

He let out a breath of irritation. "McIntire," he corrected himself. "Remember to destroy those things as soon as you possibly can."

"Or what?" she asked curiously.

"They'll destroy you."

And with that, Loki vanished from the elevator, heading towards Oberon.

~Veronica~

I looked from my point on the rooftops across from Avenger Tower.

My thoughts dwelled on Loki and I worried about the baby. Another nudge caught my attention and I placed a hand at a point under my bellybutton. This was becoming tiresome.

"Parker?" I heard Hawkeye's voice through the communicator in my ear.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"How's it lookin' ?"

I looked to the east. The sun was nearly overhead now and I could make out the SHIELD fleet that would be coming at New York gathering on the shore. "Same old, same old," I replied.

I looked over at Hawkeye's position on the rooftop across the street from mine. He was lower down and couldn't see the fleet's progress, something I was sure was killing him. He gave me a brief thumbs up as he turned back to Steve.

When the fleet came at the wall, we were to charge the tower and destroy the bio-weapons. If we could take Oberon out, we were to do so, but I highly doubted we would have time to even destroy the eggs before he was alerted to our presence. Yup. All in a day's work for "Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

I looked down at the streets below. Almost all of Oberon's forces had moved to the outer wall when he saw the fleet coming. That had been part of the plan for us. The three of us (Hawkeye, Steve, and myself) had gotten in before any new defenses had been set up. As far as I knew, all the hell hounds and men had congregated east.

A half-hour later we heard the first blast against the outer wall.

That was our cue to get going. I heard Hawkeye's voice through the communicator in my ear. "Ok. Initiate Operation Easter Egg Hunt."

I rolled my eyes at the name, but kept my mouth shut. Stark had asked Hawkeye to name the mission something funny for him and I wasn't about to object to the man that had just been attacked by the father of my child.

I grabbed the rocket launcher I had by my side and aimed for Avenger's tower. With a little 'whiff' sound, an arrow-like device shot out. The end was attached to metal wire that trailed behind it. It sailed through the air for a brief second before impacting with one of the window ledges on the level of the labs. Perfect.

The zip line had been Steve's idea. He said he had used it back in the old days… whatever that meant. I hadn't pressed him about it because he had gotten really quiet after that, as if lost in a sad or painful memory… I knew the feeling.

I clipped myself onto the wire after securing my end to a sturdy ledge, forming a makeshift zip line. This was about to get fun. I looked over to Steve and Hawkeye who had done the same thing… only Hawkeye had used his bow to shoot the wire across the way… show off…

With a nod in their direction, I launched myself over the side of the building, freefalling for a split second before the attachment device holding me to the wire kicked in. I glided through the air for a good twenty feet, crossing the street thirty feet in the air.

I collided with Avenger's tower at break neck speed, but was able to break some of the impact by bending my knees and absorbing the energy. I looked to my right to see that Steve and Hawkeye had done the same and were safely on the ledge of their windows.

Unclipping myself from the wire, I balanced myself on the thin window ledge. For a second, I thought I was going to fall backwards, and I felt my heart plop into my stomach in a panic. That was a close one, but I shrugged it off as I clipped a silencer onto my pistol and shot into the shatter-proof glass, much like I had done in Loki's warship so long ago. With a forceful blow, I sent the glass inward and leaped onto solid ground.

I looked over to see that Steve ad simply punched through the glass. I rolled my eyes. We couldn't all be super soldiers…

I took off in the direction of an eerie red glow that could only be the eggs. We didn't have much time to waste and I knew the others would follow me. I rounded a corner, surprised that there wasn't any security in place. Maybe Oberon's downfall would be his pride. It had seemed that had been Loki's…

Loki. At the thought of him, the baby pushed against my belly and I felt my insides grow slightly colder. Odd…

That thought was quickly pushed from my mind as I rounded yet another corner. I saw the eggs, just like the one Stark had analyzed, sitting in rows of four. I counted three rows, so… twelve eggs in all.

I stopped suddenly as I realized another figure, slender and feminine, was standing in front of them, her back to us and arms raised.

Without thinking, I summoned a bit of electricity and knocked her back. It didn't even occur to me that a batch of Oberon's guards were suspended in mid-air by… a green force field?

I did a double take and ran over to the girl I had knocked down. She had a SHIELD badge on the bulletproof vest of her uniform, and mirrored aviator sunglasses clipped to the center of the collar of her undershirt. This was no agent of Oberon.

She opened her eyes and I lurched backwards. They were glowing a radioactive green.

"What the hell is it with you people and knocking me down with your powers?" she exclaimed as I helped her up. She held a hand to her head. By this point, Hawkeye and Steve had caught up with me.

Neither of them showed any recognition towards her either. "What's your name, Agent?" Steve's voice came from behind me. We didn't have time for this…

"McIntire," she replied. "Carter McIntire."

The name sounded familiar, now that I thought about it… maybe it had come up while I was stuck in conversation with Coulson right after he had gotten back from evacuations?...

But that thought was soon pushed from my mind when I heard a sickening pop and the sound of goo oozing from one of the casings behind me…


	29. Chapter 29

~Veronica~

As I heard the contents of the egg slosh to the floor, I froze. I looked directly into Steve's eyes before turning swiftly to zap the first egg with electricity.

The grayish animal thing that had been poking its gruesome leg out of the casing froze and the appendage went limp.

"Do it to the rest of those motherfu-" Clint's voice was cut off as one shot straight from its shell and collided with his face. His bow fell to the ground as he tried to pry the thing off, but the creature just did not want to let go.

McIntyre slashed the rest of the eggs open before they could hatch, but she only killed a few. By my count we were outnumbered two to one.

I slung a knife into the back of the hell-beast that had attached itself to Barton's face and the thing let go… but I had only made it angry. It came at me and I stunned it with my powers. I only payed it enough attention to confirm that I had not killed it.

Barton was okay minus a few deep gashes under his eyes. He quickly wiped the blood away as he grabbed his bow and launched into attack mode. Steve was knocking the things with his shield to keep them away, but things were not looking good.

"I didn't sign up for this!" Carter yelled over her shoulder as she levitated two of the things with her force field and brought them together abruptly in an attempt to subdue them. She shrugged as the things fell to the floor, stunned. "But I could get used to it."

"We have to get out of here," I said to Barton as I axe-kicked one of the baby monsters down. "There's no way we can take these on right now!"

"It'll be harder to later!" Steve shouted as Hawkeye's concentration broke to look at me briefly.

Just long enough for one of those things to knock Hawkeye to the ground, teeth bared at his throat.

~Loki~

Loki appeared in a long hallway. This was somewhere even he had never had to infiltrate before. White, office-looking florescent lights lined the ceiling. One flickered at the very end of the hallway, just over a set of double doors…

That was where he would find Oberon. He would finish this once and for all. His thoughts flickered to the SHIELD agent, but only briefly. Had she gotten into the lab? Were the eggs destroyed? He did not have the leisure of wondering right about now.

He pushed open the doors forcefully to see a well-kept apartment. There wasn't a trace of lighting anywhere but for one exception. A television was playing, the volume turned down as the light it cast danced across the dark floor.

_What is going on?_

Loki felt his new powers surge as he detected movement in the far end of the room.

Glowing blue eyes appeared from the darkness and a figure stepped from the shadows. But Loki wasn't prepared for who the figure was.

"Loki?" Veronica's voice rang loud and clear as she sauntered towards him. "What are you doing here? I thought I had made it pretty clear that-"

"You are not Veronica," he said stiffly. This was a trick. Oberon knew he couldn't handle Loki through fighting, so he had resorted to mind games.

The thing that looked like Veronica raised its eyebrows. _Veronica's eyebrows._ "Then what am I, Loki?" The figure stepped closer to him. The eyes were completely wrong. That much he knew. These were enchanted. This wasn't her. It was another form of torture that bastard had concocted.

She turned away, running a hand through her hair. "You want to know a secret?" she drawled as she sat down on the sofa in front of the TV and twirled her long hair around her index finger. That was another thing. Veronica had cut her hair short.

But this one looked so… real. Even with the strange eyes, she was still beautiful.

Loki swallowed. "No."

The Veronica-thing fake pouted. "You are so harsh, Lover. However will we fix that?"

"Where is Oberon?"

"I never did love you…" she trilled in an attempt to reel him back in. "You were always a monster in my eyes. Did I ever tell you that? The first time you ever kissed me… and you turned blue" the bitch actually shuddered "… I had to fight not to run away screaming. You will always be a monster in my eyes, Loki. At the very least on the outside. Oh. But wait. You seem to have managed the inside part as well."

"Stop."

"And now you have gone and given me a little monster of my own. I wonder how warped this child will be? Will it disgust me as much as you do?" she rubbed her belly thoughtfully.

"Please. Stop." Loki said. His jaw clenched and he inhaled sharply. Something was shifting inside his mind. The torturous thoughts that had plagued him since the day he discovered his true identity resurfaced. His conversation with his father echoed in his ears…

_What? That I am the monster parents tell their children about at night? Well. It all makes sense now why you favored Thor all these years. Because no matter how much you claimed to love me, you could never have a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!_

Loki blinked back tears. Those had been the last words he had said to his father in a near-civil conversation. And then he had gone and become the very monster he had sworn not to be. Surely Veronica could see it…

He had crumpled to the floor, sitting back on his knees and clutching his head in his hands. He pulled at his hair as he rocked back and forth. This was it. His Achilles heel.

The Veronica-thing was standing over him in an instant, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Shhh, Lover. It will all end soon."

He let out a whimper as images of his past deeds ran through his mind. Not all of them were even things he had done, but they seemed so real. He bit his lip to keep from screaming.

"Soon. Soon. Soon." Her voice seemed so real. Was this really her? He heard a knife being pulled from its sheath and felt air rush past his head as Veronica raised it high above her head. "Soon. Soon. It will be over, Love."

The knife came down, but Loki whirled around to block it. Veronica's blue eyes glinted, then shifted into something else entirely.

The next he knew, Veronica's soft flesh melted away and he was looking into the face of Oberon himself.

~Veronica~

"Barton!" I practically yelled as I zapped the thing from his chest. I dodged another, pretty much drop-kicking it as I made it to him.

Blood flowed from a deep gash in his neck that that thing's teeth had caused and it was all I could do not to vomit. His fingertips were wet with blood as he tried to staunch the bleeding. All around us the battle raged on. "You are NOT going to die on me," I said defiantly.

I saw another monster running at me in my peripheral vision, but I pulled out my pistol and unloaded it into the things chest and head. It skidded to a halt, falling down three feet from me, a trail of purple blood marked behind it. _So they can die._

"Steve!" I yelled as Captain America dodged a swing from a set of claws. He and McIntyre were fighting back to back by now, trying to let me administer first aid.

"I hear you," Steve said, bonking one away with his shield. "Keep talking."

"Aim for their head and chest cavity! It's not fully matured yet."

"Gotcha," Steve said, recommencing the offense ten-fold. I saw him get in a forceful punch to chest of one before I turned back to Hawkeye.

Hawkeye looked extremely pale. His vision was becoming unfocused. "Stay with me," I said as I tore the hem of his pants from his ankle to the middle of his thigh to form a bandage.

"Always… knew you wanted to… undress me," he said jokingly.

"You know it, Baby," I replied just as teasingly.

His eyes went wide. "Hell-thing," he managed. I turned my gun to one just in time as it lunged for my back.

He was starting to close his eyes. "Stay with me, Hawkeye," I said, slapping his face lightly and administering the bandage. There was so much blood…

We needed a medic. Something we didn't have.

Even Loki would have been better than nothing, but I still had no idea where he was…

The baby nudged my belly and I actually registered it in the middle of this. My insides grew cold, growing in intensity until the mark on my wrist felt like it was going to burn a whole in my skin. I looked down, realizing the mark was glowing red… like Loki's eyes when his frost giant form surfaced….

Magic. I had magic within me. The realization was stunning. Hawkeye held the bandage to his neck, waiting for me to act while he bled out.

I looked down at him. "Lie still."

"Not a problem."

I channeled the energy from my wrist straight into the site of Barton's wound, much like I would channel electricity… only this was going to heal him… hopefully.

His eyes went wide as saucers. "Damnit, Parker! You always were a pain in my neck. Shit. Why is this burning?"

I smiled. "I just cauterized the wound. The bleeding's gone now."

He tried to sit up, but obviously felt too dizzy. I managed to keep the hell-beasts away.

Steve and Carter were preoccupied with the ones that we hadn't managed to wound. The things had grown twice as big as when they had hatched, now comparing with the size of a sixth grader. That is if sixth graders had dead-looking gray flesh, red glowing eyes, and long pointy teeth that stuck out from their mouths… not to mention the ever so classy frog-like tongue of the hell-hounds that contributed to part of their DNA.

I counted a total of five of these things. We needed to get out of here. Now.

"McIntyre!" I yelled. The girl looked at me, nodded to Steve, and took a place at my side. "Can you get Barton to-" I kicked a hybrid as it came at us and Carter smashed a force-field down onto its head.

Well. Now there were only four…

"Can you get Barton to safety?" I managed through the chaos. "He's lost a lot of blood. He can't go on much longer."

She looked at me. "If you can get me out of here, I can get him wherever he needs to be."

I looked out the window that we had smashed in. She followed my gaze. "Oh no. I don't do heights."

I cut my eyes at her. "It's the only way. Use your force field to break your fall."

She crossed her arms, considering…

"We don't have all day," Barton chimed in. I gave him a look to say 'shut the hell up. At least she's thinking about it.'

"Come here, Cupid," she said to the archer as she helped him to his feet.

A few vulgar words slipped from his mouth as she stood him up. She looked at me and rolled her green eyes, mouthing the word 'charming' in my direction.

"I'll cover you," I said as the two staggered to the window.

With a final lurch, Carter powered up her force field to form a bubble around the two and jumped from the window. I heard a sickening thud on the pavement ten stories below and cringed.

But the sidewalk was apparently the thing that needed to be concerned. A crater had formed where the force field had impacted and I was able to make out Carter hot-wiring a cab across the street, Hawkeye lazing in the passenger seat.

As the car sped off, I turned my attention back to Steve who was going at the remaining beasts for all he was worth.

With a sigh, I jumped right back into the mix.

* * *

><p><strong>Long chapters really are the best! Expect the next update soon, maybe tonight even! I am on a roll! :3<strong>

**Please review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Ok. So I am completely ecstatic right about now! Why? Because Veronica has just been featured in Mac n' Meez's story 'Putting the Pieces'. yup. The story is amazing and i completely recomend it to everyone! **

~Loki~

"Well, now. Isn't this an awkward position to find myself in?" Oberon said. But Veronica's voice came from his mouth. Loki brought his hand down in a twisting motion and knocked the knife from Oberon's hands. Before Oberon could react, Loki had punched him square in the face, sending him back several feet.

"I told you you could not win," Loki said defiantly as he walked right up to Oberon's sprawled form. He grabbed the sorcerer by the shirt beneath his armor, lifting him up and hitting him again.

Oberon was on his feet in an instant, glaring at Loki as he backed away. "Old friend… you certainly have grown powerful since the last time we spoke." His voice was back to normal now.

And with that he sent a burst of fire straight at Loki.

Loki put up a shield of ice just as the flames licked at his face. He smirked. "You will have to do better, Oberon."

Oberon smiled evilly. "Oh? So you prefer this?" He transformed back into Veronica's form. "She is scared of you to an extent, you know. Of what you do, why you do it… if you will ever… resort back to your old ways. That wasn't a lie."

Loki swung at the Veronica –thing, but it ducked, knocking Loki's feet out from under him and sprawling Loki on his back…

~Veronica~

I knocked a hell-beast out of my way as I plowed into the battle. Adrenaline coursed through me and I found myself actually grinning from the exhilaration.

I knifed one in the chest as it came at me, but it kept coming. So I did what any sensible person would do in this situation. I turned tail and ran. The rest of the things that had survived must have matured fully now. Steve and I had taken out another one after Carter had left with Hawkeye, but there were still two, fully-grown hell-beasts programmed to fight until we were dead.

I spotted Steve on a balcony overhead. He was warding off one with his shield. "STEVE!" I yelled as I turned to the staircase that would lead me to him. He saw me coming.

I ran right at him, ducking under his shield as he slung it at the beast that was chasing me. It decapitated the thing as it passed through the gruesome neck.

As I passed under Steve, I pulled my last pistol from my thigh and shot directly in between the eyes of the beast he had been fighting. Two down, one to go... One that had seemingly disappeared from the scene.

I reloaded both pistols as I looked around the room. I counted the carcasses to make sure that I had not miscounted. Sure enough, there were only eleven.

With a gun at the ready, I descended the stairs, tense and ears pricked for any sound that would betray the thing's whereabouts. Steve followed, making sure nothing would sneak up on either of us.

"BlackLite…" he said quietly. I turned to face him. He was looking straight up at the ceiling.

Slowly, I followed his gaze to the point he was indicating. "Shit." I muttered. "Why didn't Stark mention they could do that?"

The hell-beast was on the ceiling… its feet sticking to the tiles like a huge cockroach or something. I think I would have preferred the cockroach right about now…

Steve shrugged. "I doubt even he could have seen this one coming."

The beast looked down at us. It was fully grown by now and looked like it was about Steve's size. Its tongue flicked menacingly and its soulless eyes blinked each time we spoke or moved. I shivered, suppressing the urge to run. That would probably only make it want to attack me more…

"What do you suggest?" I asked as we slipped under the alcove the balcony that we had been on a few minutes before formed. We were trapped.

"Well… I'm not sure."

Just then, a blast sounded beneath us and the ground shook. "What the-" another blast shook the building again.

"Guess who's here, Sunshine?" Tony's voice sounded through my communicator.

"Tony?" I looked at Steve in a panic. "What the hell do you think you are doing out of bed?"

"Well. I couldn't let you guys have all the fun, could I? I reinforced my armor to protect my chest. I'm as healthy as a horse… physically anyways. But we have the rest of SHIELD's forces through the gates. We're working on getting into the tower now. What's your location?"

While he was talking, Steve had stuck his head out from our shelter. He turned back to me. 'It's not there anymore.' He mouthed.

My eyes went wide. "I'll let you know if we survive," I said through the ear piece.

Grasping my pistol, I looked out to the point of the ceiling where the thing had just been. My stomach dropped to see it wasn't still there. That only added to the creepiness factor. I felt like I was in a bad horror movie… one that didn't end well for the heroine.

I inhaled sharply, letting it out in a deep exhale as I turned back to Steve.

~Loki~

Loki was on his feet in an instant, driving back at the Veronica- thing. He got it on its back as an ice-dagger formed around his right hand.

Then the thing started screaming and Loki was looking down at her. She was there. This was her. Why was he killing her?

The thing covered its eyes as tears sprang from the glowing blue orbs. "Loki! I always – always knew you would do – do this one day!" she shrieked.

Loki's face contorted with pain as he looked down at it. Every rational part of his being told him to sink the knife as far as it would go. To take the life of the bastard who had tried to take everything from him.

But he couldn't…

Suddenly, a blast shook the floor out from under him. at least, that's what it felt like. Loki realized that he had fallen over when the floor shook.

He looked over to the Veronica-thing as it melted back into Oberon and stood up.

Blood gushed from a gash in Loki's head as he tried to make the room stop spinning.

Oberon's face contorted into an evil grin as he picked the knife Loki had disarmed him of and walked over to Loki's prone form.

"So this is where it ends, Old Friend," he said as he raised the knife above his head once more.

Loki struggled to his feet, blasting magic at Oberon. It only knocked the sorcerer back slightly, though, and Oberon quickly advanced.

Loki felt his back hit a wall and something sharp dig into his gut.

He looked down to the pain in his side, gasping as Oberon sank the dagger into his body up to the hilt. And then Loki's mind flashed to a different place. He was standing somewhere. He wasn't sure where, but it looked very similar to where the eggs had been. Dead hybrids lay strewn across the floor, purple blood laying in pools around them. He looked over to see Steve Rogers, braced against a wall.

Then he realized that he was looking through Veronica's eyes. Her thoughts raced through his head. Her fears, her concerns for him and where he was, thoughts about the child…

She was here. And the hybrids were gone. All but one, but that would be fixed soon enough.

He tasted blood in his mouth as he came back to reality. He looked back into the sorcerer's eyes. There was a smile on his face. "You will fail," he spat.

"And why is that?" Oberon said casually, giving the knife a twist. Loki let out one gasp of pain.

"Because," he said, laughing through the torture. "My 'Lover' is here. And your precious hybrids are dead. And soon… with or without me… you will be too."

Oberon's smile slid from his face like wet paint. Loki had the satisfaction of seeing him look truly confused before he was slung to the ground.

Anger quickly replaced Oberon's confusion. "Don't worry about your lover, Loki. I am about to handle her myself. Along with the rest of your 'Avenger' pets." Oberon walked to the door as Loki tried to stand up. Oberon turned. "Don't worry about getting up on my account, old friend. Based on the rate you are losing blood you really don't have much time to worry about anything." And, with a smirk still on his face, Oberon added. "I will make sure her death is beautiful. I promise you that."

And then Oberon vaporized into thin air. The silent television displayed pictures across the dark room.

Veronica's face was the last thing Loki remembered before he passed out completely.

**I am kind of starting to scare myself! haha that was a pretty brutal chapter, huh? **

**Please review, guys! **


	31. Chapter 31

~Veronica~

"Tony's on his way up," I said to Steve as I made sure my pistol was loaded correctly. "Have you seen any new signs of that thing?"

Steve shook his head. "It's either decided to leave us alone or it's going to be showing up pretty soon. Either way, we need a plan to get out of here."

I bit my lip, my mind reeling with possible escape routes. There was the window, but neither Steve nor I could fly… or produce glowing green force fields. The hall that led to the elevator was several hundred yards away and if that thing was still in here it could take us out easily while we made a run for it.

I let out another irritated sigh. What were we going to do? I banged the back of my head lightly against the wall, willing an idea to present itself.

"Well. It can't get any worse, can it?" I said sarcastically. Just then the power shut down and we were thrown into semi-darkness. Steve cut his eyes at me as if to say 'thank you, ever so much.'

Pushing myself away from the wall I grasped my pistol firmly in hand. I was able to make out an outline of crates along the far wall and the light slanting in from the window illuminated a small patch, maybe ten feet long of the floor. The light stopped just at the carcass of one the hybrids.

I looked around for movement, but still came up empty. My breathing was becoming shorter and my palms were sweating. I never thought I would go down being mauled by some freak of nature. Shot? Maybe. Blown to bits? Definitely. Stabbed by Hel? Damn sure. But I had never for seen myself in this position.

Internally kicking myself, I forced my way out from under the alcove. If the thing was going to attack, I wanted to get it over with. No need in prolonging the inevitable. I was going to die, or I wasn't. it was simple as that.

"What are you doing!" Steve's whisper reached my ears, and I heard him following me, shield raised and poised for battle.

It was my turn to cut my eyes at him. "We have to get out of here some way or another."

I turned back around to keep inching across the floor. Slowly, steadily, we walked. Until I heard something sound behind me.

I turned back to see Steve was okay, but I noticed too little too late the long pink tongue that slipped from seemingly out of nowhere wrapping around his ankle, knocking him to his feet.

Pulling him into shadow…

~Loki~

_Loki felt as though he were flying. All concept of time was lost to him and he was relaxed. He was safe. _

_ He stretched out, basking in the luxury his mind had fabricated. He felt as though he had just awoken from a deep sleep and did not have to worry about getting up for several more hours. _

_ But then he was ripped from his euphoria… and found himself standing on a cliff that overlooked a tumultuous sea filled with jagged rocks that looked like teeth. Treacherous wind ripped at his cape and hair, and collided harshly with his exposed cheekbones and nose. He wrapped his arms around his middle in an attempt to shield his body. _

_ "Loki…"_

_ He whipped his head around to see his mother, walking towards him once again. The elements appeared to have no effect on her, though, and she glided towards him in the same glow that she had appeared in in his last dream. Only something told Loki that this was a bit more than a dream. He was standing on the edge of life and death. _

_ "You must fly, Loki. Let your spirit free."_

_ Loki shook his head as he turned back to face the ocean. It was gray, dark, confusing. Just like his thoughts, his guilt. Everything Oberon had resurrected within him. _

_ "Rise above it, Loki. Do not let him control you." He shook his head again. _

_ '_It is so hard, mother,'_ his thoughts were all he was able to muster. Speech would not come. _

_ "I know, dear one. I should have known Oberon would have used your past against you. Purge yourself of it, my love, and you will be able to face him."_

_ The wind picked up in speed. The pain in Loki's gut from Oberon's knife returned and he gasped sharply. _'But I am wounded, mortally.'

_ Frigga walked up to him and placed her hand against the wound. "I can give you an hour's delay. Focus on your mission. After that, she will know what to do."_

_ Loki's eyes widened as the wound in his side disappeared… and as his mother gave him a push over the side of the cliff. "You must fly now, Loki. Rise above your fears. Do what it is you must do to release yourself!" Loki felt air rush around in his ears as the treacherous waves rose up to meet him. "Fly, My Son!" _

_ In that moment, Loki felt triumph, true happiness rise up in his chest. It literally felt that his lungs had expanded. Power surged through him, the same power he had felt on the beach. _

_Just as sea mist sprayed his face, he pulled up from his fall… back to the real world…_

Loki woke up on the floor of the dark apartment. The television was still on. How long had he been gone?

He rose to his feet. His mother had said he had one hour before the wound would reappear and he would be dead. One hour to set things right. In a sick way, it reminded him of a mortal fairy tale he had come across… something about a pumpkin carriage…

He shook the ridiculous thought from his head, closed his eyes, and honed in on Oberon's whereabouts. When he found the sorcerer's power aura, his eyes snapped open and he was on his way towards it.

Veronica's screams made him speed up even more.

~Veronica~

"Steve!" I yelled. I saw movement in the shadows, but I didn't want to fire my pistol for fear of hitting Steve. Shit.

I heard my voice… was it an echo? Coming from the hallway that led to the elevator I had been heading towards just seconds before.

"Steve!" it mocked me. I turned back to the hall to see… myself. It was walking towards me slowly, lethally. Talk about freaky….

I was literally looking at a perfect clone of myself. Well, if I had had glowing blue eyes…

As it kept walking towards me, the clone's face slowly melted into my mother's, then after that sank in, Loki's face appeared. I breathed out a sigh of relief, not registering the eerie eyes in Loki's face. "Loki, we have to save Steve. Come on!"

Loki cocked his head to the left as he advanced. It wasn't until the figure came right up to me that Oberon's evil gaze met mine.

I took several steps backwards. "You!"

"Me," he agreed with a smirk that was enough to make me squirm all over. "Your lover certainly did put up a fight, my dear." My thoughts flashed to Loki. He had been here? Why hadn't I sensed it? "How much would it grieve you to know he is dead?"

I felt like I had been slapped across the face, doused with cold water, and left out to air-dry. Then I felt the rush of falling deep into pain and grief. "I… I don't believe you," I replied.

Loki dead? Never. He had always been a constant in the messed up equation of my life. Maybe not always positive, but always there. There was no way he was simply subtracted from it all together.

I brought a knife up to slash Oberon's eyes, but he caught it. What had I expected?

"Do not worry, my dear. I promised him I would take care of you soon enough."

Tears pooled in my eyes and I let out a shriek of pain as Oberon jolted my wrist down sharply.

Then I was slung against a wall and it was all I could do to keep my eyes trained on Oberon's boots as he walked towards me for round two.

**Please Review! :D **


	32. Chapter 32

Oberon came at me again, but I was able to summon enough strength to get back on my feet and attempt to defend myself. Anger had replaced the grief that had threatened to surface within me and, for lack of a better word, I was pissed.

I wiped my hair from my sweaty forehead, standing on my feet and slipping into a fighting stance. I didn't have electricity on my side since the power was still off, but maybe I could beat him with my fighting technique.

The idea was almost laughable.

He came at me again, and I dodged his blow. He was strong, but I was quicker and I slipped between his legs and took off running for the exit.

A line of fire blocked my exit just as I thought I was free. To my left, I could make out Steve wrestling with that hell-thing in the semi-darkness. He didn't seem to be aware of Oberon's presence. I couldn't blame him, but it relieved me to see that he was winning.

I wished I could say the same for me.

I nearly ran straight into the fire, but stopped myself just in time and made a beeline for the window. There had been a hallway leading in the opposite direction of the lab. It was my best shot.

I felt heat as magic zapped past my head. Oberon was coming after me and I could hear his footsteps falling slowly behind me. That just made it even creepier.

The emergency power was on in the hallway and I breathed in a sigh of relief as I felt electricity return to me. It wasn't a lot, but it was good enough for me. I felt the floor rumble again and a fighter jet flew past the window I was running by. That meant the air force had arrived. We just might win… I just needed to keep myself alive too.

I slid around the corner quickly and concentrated on pulling energy from the red lights overhead. The once white hallway was cast in a red, hellish glow, making my eyes feel kind of funny. When I poked my head around the corner I could see Oberon's black silhouette at the end of the hallway, keeping that same pace as he had earlier.

I whipped my head back around the corner, pulling both pistols from the straps at my thighs. I knew it probably would do little to no good against him, but, being my stubborn self, I had to try.

"I saw that," he said. A blast of magic whizzed past my head and I was off again, trying to get out of his sight. If I could gain that advantage I would be in a much better position.

My footsteps echoing down the tiled hallway floor didn't help achieve that goal, but I kept at it. Whenever Oberon showed up behind me, I threw electricity over my shoulder. He easily absorbed it into his hands like some sort of Jedi - dude with Sith lightning. That was the only way I could describe it and I cringed inwardly at how geeky I was.

The hallway seemed to go on forever, turning right, left, right, left. Was I going in circles? I was seriously falling short of breath by now, even with the high amount of SHIELD training I had undergone. Maybe it was the baby. I started to see why Steve and the others would have been concerned for my safety as well as the baby's. This amount of physical exertion, as much as I hated to admit it, was killing me.

The maze continued, and I eventually made it to the stairwell. I was only a few flights of stairs down when I heard Oberon's footsteps pass above me. I had given him the slip. He must have thought I had gone up, not down. Slowly, quietly, I kept moving down, down, down. I thought about Steve, hoping he was okay. If I could just make it to the team…

As I rounded a corner, a cold hand shot out to my mouth, silencing my startled scream, while the other wrapped around my arm and brought me against the body of the owner.

Just like that day in my house so long ago. He was here. He was alive! But how could I know for sure it was him? This could be one of Oberon's tricks.

Then I broke free of his grasp and spun to face him. "Loki!" I fought to keep my voice a whisper. "You- you're ok. He told me you were dead."

Loki looked me in the eyes. I didn't see a trace of the thing Oberon had shifted into earlier, only the endless depths of that blue-green gaze.

He brought a hand to my cheek. "I was, Love. But listen, we do not have much time. I can not explain right now. Where did he go?"

I pulled out of Loki's grasp. "How do I know it's really you?" I asked wearily. I kept my guard up.

He looked away from me, shrugging, then pulled me to him before I had the chance to blink, pressing cool lips against mine.

"Right," I said breathlessly after he pulled away. Those were definitely his lips.

"Now, really, we must find him. I need to defeat him within the hour."

I crinkled my brow, but let the last comment slide. Something felt off about it. I could understand Loki not wanting to waste time to kill Oberon, but something told me that his stubborn impatience stemmed from something else. "He went upstairs last I saw him. I was actually trying to get _away_ from him so I didn't take the time to figure out where he was going when he went the opposite way."

Loki nodded. "And the rest of the team?"

"Have infiltrated the lower levels. Last I knew, Tony was back too."

Loki nodded, clearly pleased that Tony had made it through.

Then he grabbed my hand and we were racing up the stairs after Oberon.

Halfway up, a blast sounded and to our utter surprise and confusion, Iron Man came through the brick wall, raining sheet rock into the stairwell.

"Stupid Hulk," he mumbled as his mechanical arms brushed off the rest of his suit. Then he noticed us. "Oh! Heyyyy, Veronica!"

I rolled my eyes, stepping out from behind Loki who had thrown himself in front of me to shield me from the debris. "Where are the others, Tony?"

"In the lab as of right now. Apparently you and Steve make a good team because by the time we got down there all of those things were dead. He was looking for you pretty frantically, guess I found you."

"My communicator's down. Buzz him and tell him I'm alright… as of right now anyway."

Iron Man raised his hands defensively as if to say 'Calm down, I got this.'

While he was doing that I turned back to Loki. "Can you zone in on Oberon again?"

He nodded wearily, closing his eyes to concentrate.

"Ok! Steve says to get your ass back down to the labs right now and to take this guy here," Tony said, pointing to Loki with his thumb, "into custody immediately. although it's Steve so... he didn't exactly use the word 'ass' more like... keister? whatever the hell that means."

Loki's eyes snapped open. "We are on the same side, you dolt," he said quietly, lethally. "I want Oberon dead just as much- if not more than- you do. And to find him requires a fair bit of concentration and cooperation, Mr. Stark, so if you would be so kind as to zip that poor excuse you have for communicating verbally shut until further notice I would be much obliged."

Iron Man cocked his head to the left before letting out a guffaw. He slapped a rather disgruntled looking Loki across the back. "See? This is why I like you, bud. Minus the whole hoity-toity creeper routine, you really got a pair."

I face-palmed at Stark's blatant vulgarity, Loki just cut his eyes at him. "We need to move on, if you please, Mr. Stark. We've very little time."

Tony nodded. "I'll just say you threw me through a window or something and I couldn't get you into custody. Veronica? You coming?"

"You should," Loki said quietly as his hand found mine.

"I am not losing you again," I replied. He didn't try to argue.

I looked back to Tony. "Just say, I helped throw you through the window," I said jokingly.

He shrugged then took off again through the hole in the wall.

"To save on time…" Loki said as he grabbed my hand. "Let's try this."

Then we were teleporting through the air towards lord knew wherever Oberon was.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok. Yes. It is short. No I did not originally have it this short, but I promised a chapter tonight and that's what I'm giving. My computer malfunctioned halfway through and I lost a chunk of this chapter, but I will have the next part up tomorrow. <strong>

**Also, for those interested in the Loki angst thing I have a one-shot up concerning Loki's character called 'FreeFalling' I was pretty pleased with it, so hopefully yall will give it a try? :D Maybe it will make up for the brevity of this chapter?**

**~Sirius **


	33. Chapter 33

The first thing I was aware of when we landed was a chilling breeze and a breath of night air.

The next thing I remember is the feeling of something tickling the top of my belly… from the inside. It did it again and I looked down to place a hand over the spot. I pictured a tiny foot running in an arc along the top of my womb. I jumped when it pushed again.

"Are you alright?" Loki murmured in my ear.

"Your kid is just as obstinate as you are, is all," I replied, willing the little foot to stop. Loki placed a hand on my belly and I heard him chuckle as the baby practically did an Irish-jig at his touch.

He allowed himself a brief fatherly moment as a toothless grin crossed his lips before he turned his attention back to where we were.

Slowly, I realized we were atop Avenger Tower. The top of the tower was a huge circular expanse of cement. In the very center, a glowing orb sat suspended in the air.

Loki let out an exasperated breath. "Damn." I looked over to him, my eyes wide. "This is what Mr. Stark was speaking of during the team's first attempt to enter the city."

"I don't remember that…"

I trailed off as Loki's eyes met mine, his dark brows rising in neat arcs. "That would be because you were being a stubborn woman and were finding your way into the city of your own means."

I rolled my eyes. "So what is it?" Loki proceeded to give me the Reader's Digest version of what this thing was. He still seemed rushed, and, from what I got out of his little spiel, the thing was Oberon's main source of power. As long as it continued to function, there would be no defeating him and his domain would continue to inch out to the rest of the world.

"So we destroy this thing," I said matter-of-factly as I pulled a long knife from my belt. Loki's hand shot up to grab my wrist.

"It's not that simple, Love," he said quietly.

"And why not?" I asked, trying to get him to let go of me. I pulled free from his grip and took two steps backward from him, my back to the glowing orb.

"Because look at who is standing between you and it."

My stomach sank with fear as I turned back to look at the glowing object a hundred feet away.

Oberon, tall and imposing, stood with his arms folded behind his back, studying us intently. How long had he been there?

When he saw that I had noticed him, he unfolded his arms and took a step closer to us.

I had never given Oberon the slip. He had just realized that the Avengers had infiltrated his tower and more than likely knew about his power source. Knowing I was safely away from it, he had turned away to protect it.

"Loki… Loki, Loki, Loki. You just won't _die_, will you, old friend?" Oberon's voice slithered through the dusky air and I suppressed a shiver. I looked at Loki's expression to see what he was thinking.

The corner of his mouth merely flicked up in a half-smile. "I do try, Oberon."

"Yes, but it really is not necessary. You could have had the whole world, yet you fell slave to that girl," Oberon spat the last few words as his finger pointed at me. He shook his head as his mood changed yet again. "I will never understand, but there is no need to now, is there?"

I swallowed as my hand moved towards my pistol. Oberon didn't seem to notice, but he walked right up to the two of us. Loki was a good five feet away.

Oberon's fingers brushed my cheek and I cringed away. "I told you her death would be beautiful, did I not, old friend? And I _always_ keep my promises."

At that my gun flew up and I unloaded it into his head and gut. Of course, it did no good, but it made me feel slightly more in control. It also allowed Loki to blast a disoriented Oberon with magic, knocking the sorcerer back a few feet.

"Get to the power source," Loki yelled to me. I nodded and started to run at it. Oberon's laugh reached my ears. Then I heard him whistle.

Two hell-hounds appeared out of nowhere, blocking my path, pink, frog-like tongues flicking, promising instant paralysis to their victims. I made a mental note to avoid the paralysis part. Hell, even the claws would be something to avoid.

But the fact that I had just killed a bunch of hybrids ten-times worse than these things made me feel a little bit better, and I launched into attack mode once more, smiling at the exhilaration. The fact that I enjoyed violence was really starting to worry me.

I was able to make out Loki and Oberon battling with forms of magic I had never seen Loki produce. It was scary, but beautiful at the same time. The jagged edges of Oberon's powers held no sway against Loki's flowing, green aura.

Turning back to business, I leaped over one of the hell-hounds and landed on its back. The other one didn't know what to do at this, and settled for flicking its tongue at me. It missed, and the sticky pink muscle landed on the other hell-hound's back.

That was all I needed. I felt the muscles of the thing's back seize and it fell over, completely paralyzed.

I still shot it in the head for good measure.

"Your turn?" I said lethally. I launched myself at the other hell-hound, tucking into a roll as it ran at me and landed neatly on my feet behind it. I pulled a bit of electricity from the atmosphere and zapped the hell-hound, but it still kept coming. I pulled my knife out, dodging the frog-like tongue as it whipped out at me and bringing the knife down at a strategic point on the muscle.

The hell-hound let out a howl of rage and pain as the severed part of its tongue hit the ground. Purple blood dripped from it, reminding me of the hell-beasts.

I took the opportunity to launch myself at the beast and dig my knife into its head up to the hilt.

Two hell-hounds down in a matter of ten minutes. I was feeling pretty good about myself… until I looked over to see Loki clutching his side as he tried to stay upright to battle Oberon.

That didn't look good. At all. I ran into the fight in an attempt to give Loki a bit of time to heal himself. I pulled as much electricity as possible from the sky and brought it down hard on Oberon's head.

The sorcerer was stunned momentarily, long enough for Loki to catch his breath. I ran up to Loki.

"You're hurt," I said quietly. Judging from the amount of blood flowing from the wound, he was hurt very, very badly.

He nodded. "Destroy that thing," he gasped out. "Forget about me. I can handle Oberon." By this point, Oberon was getting back up on his feet, hate gleaming in his eyes.

I kissed Loki quickly on the cheek, knowing full well that he was not 'okay'. "Be careful," I whispered.

"Always am."

"That's not the way I remember it," I said pointedly, repeating what he had told me so long ago.

He gave me a smirk, but the pain was clear on his face. "Go. Now."

I nodded and took off again towards the power.

"Sunshine?" Tony's voice came out of nowhere and I realized the communicator in my ear was working again. Tony must have fixed the radio signals to a different channel.

"I'm here," I replied. "We need you and anyone else you can get up on the roof. ASAP."

"We're on our way," his voice resonated through the communicator and relief washed through me. We were going to make it.

But then I noticed the platoon of Oberon's men breaking through the door that led to down inside the tower, filling the rook in a matter of seconds and surrounding me. blocking me from Loki.

I looked straight down the barrel of an M16 as a guard trained it on me, raising my hands over my head. I was surrounded, and Loki and Oberon were still going at it. I searched the atmosphere for any form of electricity, but couldn't even detect static.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the triggers to be pulled and my life to end.

But then I heard a roaring over my head and looked up to see Iron Man flying to the top of the tower. With a swoop of his mechanical glove, he fired bullets into the heads of each of the guards that had surrounded me.

Steve burst through the doors, followed closely by McIntyre and Thor… a deafening roar sounded from somewhere below me, and I gathered it to be Bruce… a really, really pissed off Bruce.

He was probably taking out the rest of Oberon's forces.

But, despite the reinforcements, we were still evenly matched. Some of Oberon's guards kept coming at us. I slipped into position with the other Avengers, steeling myself for the fight. This was it and I was ready.

~Loki~

The pain in Loki's side grew in intensity the longer he fought against Oberon. His time was slipping. Quickly.

He dodged a blast of Oberon's magic, stumbling backwards as dizziness overtook him. He was able to make out his brother running for the power source, attempting to shut it down.

Oberon noticed it too, and he made an even bigger attempt to take Loki's life… something that posed a real challenge seeing as Loki was already on his way out.

In a final attempt to take Oberon out, Loki thrust a handful of ice daggers at the sorcerer.

Oberon deflected them easily, and shot another blast of magic at Loki. Thor had reached the source now, and Oberon must have decided that Thor posed a greater threat. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared to battle Thor. Loki tasted blood in his mouth and he staggered.

He fell down at the edge of the battle. No one paid him any heed.

Everyone was too wrapped up in battle to notice one fallen prince… all but one. "Loki!" Veronica's voice said frantically in his ear. "Oh. My. God!"

~Veronica~

I looked down at Loki where he lay, falling to my knees by his side. "Loki? Don't leave me. You promised me you wouldn't, do you remember?"

He smiled weakly. "There is nothing to be done. I had an hour to fix things. I weakened Oberon. My brother can take him down now. You are safe." His gloved hand reached up shakily to cradle my cheek.

"I won't let him get away with this," I vowed quietly, holding his shaking hand there.

Loki shook his head. "Stay... safe."

"No!"

I tried to stand up, but he stopped me.

"Veronica, think of the child!" he said defiantly, but his voice was barely a whisper now.

I bit back bitter tears as the light left his blue-green gaze and I watched him fade in my arms a second time.

"No," I whispered. My insides grew cold as my emotions took over. "No." The mark on my wrist burned red-hot again as I bent down to press it to Loki's side. "NO!" I screamed as I beat his chest. "You will not leave me like this. I won't let you die!"

The tears were flowing freely now as I looked down at the limp body in my arms. I brushed a bit of dark hair away from his pale face. No sign of stirring appeared in Loki's face. He was gone. Magic wouldn't save him.

Anger boiled inside me as I stood up to look for Oberon. He had produced a long sword and was dueling with Thor now.

Without thinking, I ran at Oberon's back, a knife poised to plunge into that monster's back.

With as much strength as I could muster, I rammed it in between his shoulder blades. He let out a hiss of pain and Thor took the opportunity to smash Oberon's face up a bit.

Eyes glowing in anger, Oberon turned to me. I glanced back over to Loki's body before Oberon's sword came swinging at me.

I leaped over it as it had been a shot directed at my legs, and tucked into a roll behind Oberon. I was caught off guard and next thing I knew I was on my back.

Loki lay unmoving and tears continued to fall down my cheeks.

Oberon noticed them. "Aww. Love is a cruel thing, is it not?" he said with an evil smile.

I closed my eyes as Oberon's long sword went up to deliver the death blow. Thor was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear him yelling my name in an attempt to warn me.

In that moment, all I could see was the sword, harsh and metallic, descending on collision course with my head.

I threw an arm over my eyes, knowing there was no use in fighting it, but the end never came.

Instead, I heard the sound of metal shattering.

I opened my eyes, tentatively removing the arm I had thrown over them to see what was going on. Bits of Oberon's now broken sword were suspended in the air, forming a surreal cloud of metal shards.

"You never did learn to do as you were told, did you, My Little Veronica?" Loki's voice resonated in my head. Oberon seemed to sense it too, but he was a bit preoccupied with the fact that his sword had just been blown to smithereens.

I propped myself on my elbows, trying to get away, while at the same time trying to figure out where Loki's voice was coming from.

I didn't have to wait long, however. I turned my head to where Loki's body had been to see him standing there, completely healed. He looked cleaner too, and I noticed his hair was re-slicked back.

I turned back to Oberon, a smile on my face, with just enough time to make out the metal shards being directed into Oberon's body.

**Hazzaaah! Longest chapter yet! Hopefully that makes up for the last one :) **

**But there are a few more to come! Remember that! **


	34. Chapter 34

You know those few times in your life when things play out in slow motion like a really bad action movie? Yeah. Well that's what happened as Loki forced the sharp shards of Oberon's sword into the sorcerer's upper body and head. Everything seemed to slow down.

I was vaguely aware of the others fighting against Oberon's guards, knocking them down easily.

Oberon's body began to shrivel, turning as gray as the skin of the hybrids. His eyes began to glow red as he gasped for air like a fish out of water. I crawled backwards several feet as I couldn't seem to get my footing to stand up. I was still in shock.

The Oberon-mummy-looking thing took one step towards me, hands still outstretched as if to throttle me, before it stopped in its tracks and fell over. I thought it was going to land on top of me, but it fell directly to my right instead. I looked down at it as hate-filled glowing red eyes stared back at me. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until the glow of the horrid orbs faded and I Oberon was dead. For good.

I just kept staring at the thing, though. It had been so… disturbing. Now one of the most powerful Midgardian sorcerers looked like a really bad Halloween decoration.

A flash of blue light from the center of the tower lashed out and I could feel heat collide with my face in a wave. Loki was over me in a matter of seconds, shielding me with his body before the explosion went off.

Cold hands helped me to my feet, prying me from the rough cement. "Is the baby okay?" Loki said quietly.

I nodded. "Are the others? How did we survive that?" I quickly did the calculations in my head. We should all be dead. "And how the hell are you okay?" I still couldn't believe it.

It was Loki's turn to nod. "A little bit of heat is not going to harm Avengers, Love." He looked around, giving a small smirk. "But it will, in fact hurt any unfortunate guard that happened to be in the vicinity. They are not nearly as strong."

I looked around. Sure enough, Each and every one of my team mates was standing on their own two feet, trying to figure out what the hell had happened with that blast.

Thor held his hammer over his head dumbly, mouth agape, looking down at the guard he had been about to take out. McIntyre and Tony were high-fiving. Obviously they had figured out what was going on.

I let out a breath of relief, finally lowering my defense. I sank into Loki's arms, blacking out from exertion. The last thing on my mind was how crappy being pregnant was when it came to physical exertion.

~Loki~

Loki caught Veronica as she passed out. He looked over at the Avengers who had formed a barricade between him and the door to the lower levels of Avenger Tower. He suppressed a sarcastic smirk, but a light snort did escape.

Honestly, if he wanted to get away, all he had to do was whip up a bit of magic and disappear. That had been his plan all along; once everything was finished and Oberon was defeated he had planned on getting as far away from SHIELD as possible with Veronica.

But something was stopping him. instead of carrying out his plan, he took the unconscious girl in his arms, cradling her like an infant against his chest. He walked right up to the group, stopping directly in front of Captain Rogers.

"She needs medical assistance, I believe, Captain Rogers."

The captain looked down at Loki, considering. He tried to take Veronica from Loki, but Loki held her tightly to his chest. "Why don't you run?" Steve asked, clearly angered.

Loki gave a half-hearted smile. "Because, as much as I hate to associate with you Avengers, her well-being is at the top of my priorities. I cannot offer her the assistance your medicine men can. And, judging by the way I just saved all of you from Oberon, I would say a pardon is in order."

"Aye," Thor spoke up, coming to his brother's aid. Steve looked just as surprised as Loki. "My brother has proven his worth. He can be trusted." Thor swatted Loki on the back in a brotherly-way, but it still rattled Loki's teeth.

Steve rolled his eyes. "I will take it up with Fury, but Coulson… Coulson will take some serious convincing." The mortal actually looked like he was suppressing a shudder. In the back of his mind, Loki wondered how such a small man could instill fear into the heart of the captain.

When all of this was over, Loki decided he would have a little chat with the Son of Coul. He wished to know how to accomplish such a feat.

~Veronica~

I woke up in a hospital bed once again. I seriously had to get control of my fainting spells. But a wave of nausea stopped that thought in its tracks. I leaned over the bed railing and upchucked directly on someone's shoes.

Stark's aggravated sigh reached my ears and I looked up to see him looking down at his shoes pitifully. "Pep's gonna kill me," he said absently.

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. "Don't worry about me, Tony. Prego lady is just tossing her cookies. How long have I been out?"

Tony kept staring at his feet, lost in the thoughts of his ruined shoes. "Just a few hours," Barton's voice came from the doorway. "Tony here was just checking on you. Guess his appearance finally made you throw up, after all."

I fell back against the pillows, noticing the white bandage at Barton's neck. "Glad to see you're better as well, Clint." I said.

He came in the room now, sitting down in a chair by the window. "Yeah. That little critter in your stomach sure knows how to make someone better. Doc said I shouldn'ta made it."

I smiled slightly, as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Where's Loki?" I asked, panic rising in my throat. Had he been arrested?

"I am here, Love," he said as he appeared at the bedside. He took my hand. "SHIELD has granted me full pardon after my aid against Oberon."

Relief washed over me. Oberon was dead, Loki was a free man, and the baby was healthy and safe. A normal future that had seemed so far out of reach not five hours ago was practically knocking at my door.

Loki sat down next to me, pulling me against him. Barton grabbed a still forlorn Tony by the ear and dragged him out, giving us some privacy.

Loki kissed the top of my head gently.

We sat there in silence. Nothing was said because nothing needed to be said.

Everything was going to be okay.

Out of silence, we were one.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so the story ends, guys. If it was a bit anti-climatic, fear not! There will be an epilogue with a longer author's note and baby news so keep a look out for it tomorrow or the day after. I haven't decided how long the actual chapter will be yet. <strong>

**Thanks for the wonderous support! please keep the reviews coming :) And i would love to hear ideas for baby gender! so far i have heard both boy and girl so... i am a bit torn! **

**~Sirius**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: for those who listen to music while reading, **_**Shake it Out **_** by Florence + the Machine fits extremely well :) **

~EPILOGUE~

I took in a deep breath of salt air as I looked out over the water. Waves crashed on the shore in the distance, one after the other. On the horizon, the glowing orb of the sun rose over the water, casting an orange glow across the water and over the beach behind me. I placed a hand on the rough wood of the long pier that stretched out into the water.

An insistent nudge in my swollen belly caught my attention, and I placed a hand over the spot. I was now seven months pregnant with Loki's child. It had been four months since SHIELD had allowed me to leave.

I had gotten quite lucky with that. I was still fairly certain Loki's magic had had something to do with such an easy get-away, but every time I mentioned it to him he just gave me a knowing smirk.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" Loki's voice, now as familiar to me as my own, came from behind me. I turned around from my place at the end of the pier to see him walking towards me. He wrapped an arm around me and I lay my head against his shoulder.

For a while we just stood there, neither saying a word.

"Have you decided on a name?" he asked me into my hair.

I smiled slightly, simply relishing in his touch as his icy breath travelled over my left shoulder. "Rose." I said quietly. "Sonja Rose."

I felt his lips smile against my hair. "I like it," he said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Her mother is named after a Midgardian flower, why should she be any different?"

I nodded, watching the sun rise over the top of the Atlantic Ocean. The waves crashed on the shore behind us. "Are you still afraid?" I asked tentatively. He had confessed the fear of a mutated child to me several months ago.

He held me tighter. "No. I am not. We can handle anything as long as we are together."

I let out a happy sigh as I closed my eyes. Together was such a wonderful word, especially when he used it about the two of us. The breeze blew hair in my face and it tickled my nose slightly.

"You never did grow your hair out…" he said quietly. I rolled my eyes.

"It's easier this way."

He shook his head slowly, catching a lock of my short red-brown hair in between his long fingers. He looked me in the eye before slowly, ever so slowly, pulling down on the lock. His fingers stopped just over my breast.

When I looked down, I could see my long hair had regrown in a matter of seconds. I looked back up at him with a playfully aggravated look. He raised his eyebrows.

Some things never changed.

He brushed the now long hair behind my shoulder and rested his hand under my ear. I brought my hand up to hold it there, looking into his blue-green gaze. His thumb stroked my cheek as his other hand swooped down to take my left hand in his own. A single diamond, framed by tiny emeralds, was nestled on my left ring finger, and he brought his lips to it.

"I love you," he said when he looked back up.

I smiled. "And I love you," I whispered.

"I knew we would be able to say that to each other one day without any forthcoming dire circumstances," he said, a big smile stretching across his thin lips.

"And you were right," I replied. I stretched up on my tip-toes to plant a kiss on his lips, one he returned with passion. I wound my fingers into his dark hair, pulling him as close to me as possible. I could stay in his arms forever…

When he pulled away from the kiss, he didn't let me go. Instead, he simple turned back to the rising sun, keeping an arm securely looped around my waist.

The glowing orb rose higher and higher in the sky. Our future was just beginning. We were standing at the brink of a vast unknown. But we would be ok. We always were. Because we had each other.

Two pieces of a whole, joined together as one.

And as the sun rose that day, standing in Loki's embrace, I felt complete and utter peace for the first time in years.

**AN: And… that's a wrap, people! Thank you sooooo much to all who read, favorited, reviewed, and gave me the support I needed to finish this story. Seriously. You have no idea how nice it was to have the amount of support everyone has given me. Not meaning to be mushy, but… I love you guys! **

**Also, a big thanks to whoever put both of these stories into the "For the Love of Loki" community. **

**Now. There will not be another sequel… I am honestly quite out of ideas for a full-fledged story at this point, but I can promise you that there will be more of these two… as well as little Rose. Look for a collection of one-shots called **_**The Sound of Winter**_** (yes, it is named after a song by Bush) that will be appearing soon! Hell, there may even be a bit of the Avengers thrown in there as well… I am obsessed, I know. Where it goes from this collection is a mystery to me, but maybe another story will surface from it! ;) **

**Thanks ever so much, once again. You guys are great! **

**~Sirius **


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